Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Dill
Anethum graveolens

Larval host for the Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly. Keep plenty Dill plants on hand all Summer long for these beautiful creatures.

What a great picture!! Makes me want to grow dill just to get to look at those!!!

Kell, Hey thanks. Some people would get grossed out by those bugs, but I was fascinated all Summer long watching them grow. I saw the whole thing, from the mother butterfly laying eggs, from the cats hatching from those eggs, and the cats molting to expand and grow, to the cats changing into chrysillids, and from butterflies hatching from the chrysillids. Beautiful butterflies.

Here's a fresh butterfly.

Help some butterflies - grow some Dill and Fennel.

Parsley too! Always plant more than I need for salads and cooking; rest are for the butterflies.

What entertainment you had! I may try to find a little piece of dirt to plant some. How will they find it though?

Paul, I've seen the butterflies. But not until now to find out they use Dill as host-plant. Why I've Dills and that explained the present of E.S. b.f. in the garden. Thanks for posting these.
I've not found the cats. however, now I'm eager for spring to gets here. lol

Sogal123 -- Oh yea, parsley I think is preferred. But I didn't have any planted. Thanks.

Kell -- Yes, much entertainment. However, one word of caution, I've also witnessed Wasp stealing the cats right off the plants and having lunch right in front of me. Dang wasp. I'm planning on creating a planter with a top frame that I can quickly put up a mesh net once the plant gets covered with eggs. Then I can release the BF's once they hatch from their chrysillids. The wasp are very efficient predators. How do they find it? If you plant it, they will come. ha. I loved the dill and fennel as I loved plucking some and rolling it in my fingers to release the scent. They are very aromatic. Maybe that's how they find it. I dunno really.

Kim -- yes, yes, yes. This was the first year that I had Dill, after reading that myself. I think I raised and released something like at least ten butterflies. Most of the cats were stolen by those mentioned above.

Once Spring, Summer, and Fall are here, ya'll please visit the Butterfly forum found here.
Or got there anyway, and just go back to the Summer months for some georgeous BF's.
Say maybe staring around here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/bbb/all/580

Bye ya'll.
Paul

Beautiful photo! Interesting about the wasps. Last summer I counted 33 cats on our plants! When I went back later in the afternoon to take a photo, they were dropping left and right from the plants and slowly dying, it was so sad :( It was like they had been drugged or poisoned - any idea what would have caused this?

rcn48 -- uh-oh. :^(

Not sure, but maybe they had somehow become in contact with bug spray?

Or, could be there were attacked by any number of predator bugs.
There are many predators out there who attack in many different ways.
Wasp and most beetles will clamp down on them with their large pincer jaws.
Some bugs have more of a syrnge type jabber that the poke the cats with.
While other bugs use a stinger....
I've started watching many types of bugs, and I'm amazed at what all the pretty butterfly has to go through just to survive. Of the several that made it all the way, at least three of mine quickly found themselves in the trap of a garden spider's web. :^)