These are my GSB cats this morning- something like 9 on the plant. They look like they are just hanging out- not eating much- they are about 3" long now- Are they close to becoming butterflies? Should I keep the net over them until they can fly? I don't want to miss it this time!
If you want to see them make chryliss and watch them hatch I would put your netting back over it
I would definitely either keep the netting on them, or make yourself up a little "cat house" so that you can bring them into your home, once they've turned into a chrysalis. That way you for sure won't miss the big event :)
It's unlikely that you'll see where they make their chrysalis if they wander off but putting a net over the plant might not keep them in either. I have put pop-up hampers (with no lid) on plants and staked them down and the cats somehow manage to get under it and out.
They know where "out" is too! Cats that I keep in cages always wander towards the openings. And get THIS, it's too weird! Last week I brought in 2 large BST cats because I knew they'd soon be pupating. I left the house for a while and forgot about them (they were on a plant in a vase on the bar) and when I came home one was missing. My son and I got on our hands and knees and crawled around at "cat eye level" (lol) and tried to find him without squishing it. No luck until a few hours later and I found it on the frame around the back door, which is across my living room from where they were.
The next day the same thing happened and the 2nd one disappeared. My husband saw it crawling on the floor across the living room going straight for the same door! That's the door that my garden is outside of, so do they know that?!
If you see one eliminate what appears to be a large amount of loose watery frass, it's likely pupate soon. Then it'll wander around looking for a place to pupate. Very few cats pupate on the host plant.
It's been a while since I've raised GST's...do they do that elimination thing too? I know the BST's do but Monarch's and Queen's don't. Maybe it's just a Swallowtail thing?
Yes, maybe it is a swallowtail thing, the GST always do that. And the Spicebush Swallowtails do it also.
