Raising butterflies from caterpillars, Part 3
If you read my earlier posts, you know my little boy and I have been trying to raise Eastern Black Swallowtail butterflies from caterpillars. Sadly, we haven't had a lot of success yet.
We started with three caterpillars, but lost one in the car before we even got home. The second one built its chrysalis right away, but the next day it fell from the branch and was presumed dead. Incredibly, weeks after my son stashed it in his treasure chest, he opened the chest to find a beautiful, perfectly formed female butterfly. It died the next day.
The third one built its chrysalis shortly after the first one, but after several weeks we had given it up for dead. This week we found a fluttering, stumbling, long-legged creature with small, black, blue-dotted wings on the bottom of the cage. We left it in the cage with fresh water and parsley, hoping that maybe its wings were fully developed and just hadn't completely unfolded. Last night, it had developed no further and was found on its back kicking its legs wildly, spinning madly around the bottom of the cage. I put in outside in a flower bed, not expecting it to live, but knowing that even in its sadly defective state it would at least contribute to a natural cycle.
We scrubbed out the cage last night, and my son took the last chrysalis to school this morning for show and tell. We've decided to plant more parsley and fennel for the Eastern Black Swallowtails, and whatever else will support other varieties of butterflies. When that's done, we'll go back to the nursery for more caterpillars--whatever type they have then--and try raising them outside.
If anyone knows what we've done wrong, or has suggestions for our butterfly garden, please let me know.