|
Every year I plant parsley and dill in my gardens.
I like to use the rich, green parsley plants to edge my butterfly
garden beds. But I plant them for much more than the color.
Several species of swallowtail butterfly caterpillars
eat plants in the carrot family which includes carrots, parsley,
dill and Queen Anne's Lace.
You have probably tried delicious crunchy carrots.
But I bet you've eaten parsley and dill, too. They are often added
to foods like soups, stews and stuffings for flavoring. Parsley
is laid on dishes as a garnish. Dill is what makes dill pickles
... dill.
I noticed that a few of my parsley plants had
lost nearly all their leaves. I saw this beautiful caterpillar
resting on a stem.
I am glad I did not bother it. "The caterpillars
have a forked, glandular process behind the head that can be everted
to emit a strong odor distasteful to predators." Arthropod
Museum Notes
See
a photo of the butterfly
 Caterpillars Contrast
|
Black swallowtail caterpillar (parsleyworm)
Papilio polyxenes Fabricius
Comparing exercise / Contrasting
exercise |
