raising a black swallowtail butterfly

My 7 yr old daughter got really interested in caterpillars after raising and releasing monarch butterflies in her kindergarden class last year, so this year when I found a black swallowtail caterpillar on my black eyed susans, we decided to keep it and see if we could raise it to a butterfly. We only had the caterpillar for 24 hrs when I noticed it shedding its skin and actually got to watch it forming a crysalis. This weekend it hatched into a beautiful male black swallowtail, and we got to release it and watch it fly off in the backyard-what a really neat experience this was!!

Hmmm...did it wander onto your black-eyed susans? They feed on dill, parsley, fennel, Queen Anne's Lace, so I'm wondering what it was feeding on. Glad your daughter is into butterflies; too many kids don't have a connection with nature.

Melanie

I'm assuming it moved off its feeding plant onto the BES because it was ready to pupate (I read that they will do this before making the crysalis) I put some carrots and dill leaves in with the caterpillar but never saw it eat, but within 24 hrs it was already making its crysalis, so I guess i just happened to find it at the right time!

Kat, welcome to the club, sounds like you and daughter are offically hooked. :)

I know that is so much fun raising them.

And I think you're right -- perfect timing - you found him just in time.