Garden Guests

Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars 

if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

I've watched the caterpillars all through the summer. They ate the dill twice and finally killed it. Then they moved to the parsley. The caterpillars would disappear and I'd never find a chrysalis. 

Did the birds get them, I wondered. 

And today I got an answer.

I'd been picking tomatoes and glanced over to the parsley. Something dark seemed to be hiding deep in the plant. I wondered if the robber fly from yesterday evening was hiding in the cool. And when I looked closer I found a Black Swallowtail newly emerged from its chrysalis.

Note the still curled wings.

The wings were not fully expanded and I stopped to watch part of the process.

The wings started filling out more. [And note the caterpillar just to the left.]

The butterfly continued the process, but also was walking all around the parsley. I wondered if I was disturbing it, so I continued with my tomato harvest returning after an hour or so to fine the butterfly seemingly dry and ready to fly.

This butterfly looked ready to go. [Note another caterpillar to the right.]

It fluttered a bit...fluttered once more...and few away.

As it fluttered it was working its way up to a place from which it could "take off." Note how much closer it has moved to the caterpillar on the right.

NOTES:

I planted the dill and parsley specifically for the butterflies. I forget about the herbs in the garden when I'm cooking and rarely pick any (although I used the parsley a few times this year). 

Here are some photos of caterpillars taken earlier this year - including this week:

I do not know the correct terminology for the different stages of caterpillar, but these three very different looking creatures are all Black Swallowtail.

The dill - while it lasted - was often covered with caterpillars.

Here the dill was covered with the relatively "new" caterpillars.