Dead Black Eastern Swallowtails?

EE gsp at interlog.com
Mon Nov 3 15:22:47 EST 1997


I'm an organic gardener in southern Ontario, and have had Black
Swallowtails on my dill and parsley for years.

This summer I wanted to see them pupate and hatch. There were three
caterpillers on the pot of parsley, so it was easy to build a nice
improvised pavillion for them.

The first pupa was bright green with fuzzy vertical yellow stripes down
its back. About a month after it began to pupate a Red Ichneumon wasp
emerged.

The other two, which became brownish pupae, have been pupating since
July 28th!

I suspect that they're dead, but they look OK (to an amateur). Talk
about eternal optimism.  Is it possible that they might be pupating for
the winter?

If there's hope, I'll put them in the garage for the winter. If there's
no hope, I'll put them in specimen jars.

I'd appreciate any input ... please ....the suspense is killing me! ;-)

EE
(just another nature nut)


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