I'm so excited

This is a first for me. I have only seen a Pipevine Swallowtail once at the old place. I had my first one here at the new place today. She was all over the Aristolochia gigantea Susie gave me. I couldn't find any eggs though. I looked at the A. trilobata, also from Susie and found blooms but no eggs ;-( then looked at my A. elegans/littloris and wha la I found 23 eggs on one stem and 14 on another. Sure hope the wasp and spiders don't get them. My BST have been laying eggs everyday and I'm not seeing any cats. I am seeing the wasp all over my dill everyday so I think that is what's getting the eggs. Sorry for the bad pic. She was going from leaf to leaf non stop

the eggs

Aristolochia trilobata blooms

How exciting! Are you going to bring any of them in? Those are some weird blooms!! What is your vine growing on? How big is it?

I just asked the same questions on another thread. I'm wondering how big these vines get and if I'd have room for one. I've always wanted one but have never seen a good pic of how large they are.

KK I have mine growing in a 3 or 5 gal pot. I made a trellis with plastic netting and bamboo poles around the back side of the pot. Then I put it up against a tree to grow the rest of the way and I can cut it back down to the trellis to bring in for winter. Some get 20' or more. Some are hardy for me and others aren't. I got the idea from Gaylams(Kay). Can take a pic of it if you want to see what I am talking about

Do pipevine butts eat trilobata? I gave up growing b/c folks on another forum told me it was toxic to PVS. If you confirm that it is suitable for PVSs please post. I found Trilobata easy to grow from seed unlike some of the other aristolochia vines.

Thanks
Sam,

I'll have to check with Susie. It seems to me she said they eat hers and I got the plant from her

Finally caught her in the act. She has laid on all 3 different Aristolochias now

close up of the eggs

Oh, great pics!! I didn't know they laid eggs in groups either! That makes them so much easier to find than one by one!

Are they gregarious eaters? I tried to raise some moths once that were and most of them died. I felt sorry for the last one and wondered if he was lonely.

I have no idea KK. This is my first time to have Pipevine ST's. I hope I have enough for all the eggs she is laying

Konkrete and Donna,
This is my first year blessed with PVS. They seem to be gregarious eaters until the latest stages. I counted 23 eggs on that stem. The most in a group I have found was 11. However, I have collected over 150 eggs over the past week. YeeHa!!!!!

Sam

150!!! Wow! Are you raising them inside, since you've been collecting them?

Konkrete,
I have about 60-70 in be b/fly rearing cage. I shipped the other 80+/- off to 2 experienced lep-ers.

I try to stay in contact with fellow enthusiasts so that the cats have somewhere to go if I can't take care of them. Their is NO WAY the land in my area can support 150 PVS cats.

I am in heaven with my PVS cats!!!!! I also have some Spicebush too!!!

I think 60-70 is plenty to raise at once! Do you (or they) normally have good results raising eggs that have been shipped? I just sent a friend in Ohio some Black Swallowtail eggs because he had plenty of Rue waiting but they all died in their early instars.

It wasn't his plants because he doesn't use chemicals so I wonder if the change in location does something? He's sent me moth eggs before and they all eventually died too for no apparent reason.

He was excited today because he found Spicebush eggs too. I'm still working on getting a Spicebush and some Pipevine.