I suppose everyone heard my scream–my cry of panic and alarm this morning as I went outside to water my containers of herbs– as my gaze settled in on these voracious, uninvited, “guests”!!
“Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars”….I run inside the house screaming. My husband thinks I’m being attacked by killer bees as I tell him that my dill is about to be eaten to the bone.
“Just kill them” he tells me, none too concerned over the plight of my herbs “No, you don’t understand! You can’t kill butterflies to be!!”
I had this problem last year, as they decimated my dill and parsley overnight. I thought surly I wouldn’t have to worry about them coming back until late Summer, early Fall. OOOOHHHHH Me–oh woe is me. They will just have to finish my plants off, hopefully by then they will want to become full and fat cocoons. When they do their cocoon thing, I’ll just have to plant some more herbs–perhaps I need to look into how long a caterpillar stays a caterpillar.
Right now there are but two. Last year there were 12. Maybe may odds are increasing….but I think I failed to mention the mole holes I’ve found…..
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