a gardening lesson
Not sure whether I mentioned before that I decided to have a small garden this year for the first time in many years. I'm mainly doing this for herbs, but I did get a couple of patio tomato plants too.
So, about a week ago, I saw a caterpillar on the step from my patio into the house. I really only noticed it because Lyla did. She was a little freaked out by it at first. Since I was afraid she'd decided to try eating it, I moved it very carefully so it was behind some ferns on the porch. I assumed it would, if it lived, become a Monarch since we get those a lot when they're migrating from Mexico.
So, the other day, I noticed the same kind of caterpillar on my one and only dill plant. Didn't think much of it at the time. The next day I noticed that I had three of them and that most of the leaves and tender shoots of the dill plant had been eaten!
So, I did a little research. It turns out the caterpillars will become black swallowtails, and dill is one of the things they love to eat.
I guess I'm happy I'm supporting the (future) butterfly population, but I'm a little disappointed I won't be eating any of my own dill. Unless the plant comes back. I wonder if dill does that. More to learn...
So, about a week ago, I saw a caterpillar on the step from my patio into the house. I really only noticed it because Lyla did. She was a little freaked out by it at first. Since I was afraid she'd decided to try eating it, I moved it very carefully so it was behind some ferns on the porch. I assumed it would, if it lived, become a Monarch since we get those a lot when they're migrating from Mexico.
So, the other day, I noticed the same kind of caterpillar on my one and only dill plant. Didn't think much of it at the time. The next day I noticed that I had three of them and that most of the leaves and tender shoots of the dill plant had been eaten!
So, I did a little research. It turns out the caterpillars will become black swallowtails, and dill is one of the things they love to eat.
I guess I'm happy I'm supporting the (future) butterfly population, but I'm a little disappointed I won't be eating any of my own dill. Unless the plant comes back. I wonder if dill does that. More to learn...