I found these caterpillars feasting on my parsley this week. It was okay with me, because these plants were in their second year. I have already put out new ones for this year anyway.

This was a “before” picture of one particular plant.

And here are the “during” and “after” shots of the same plant..

These little guys were quick. It only took a few days to strip several plants to bare stems, but then there were at least two dozen of them. I didn’t count.

Do you know what these green and black caterpillars are? They are the larval stage for beautiful black swallowtail butterflies. I saw a couple of them swooping around the yard recently, but couldn’t get a picture, since they are so swift.

I’m willing to share my garden and sacrifice some parsley for those lovely creatures.

Shalom, Dottie