While temps have continued to dwell in the 90s here at the end of September, the advent of Fall is showing its early signs. The driveway is getting a small littering of leaves and the creeping onset of dark calls us inside earlier each evening. My kitchen herbs have endured, except for the parsley, which had turned quite sad in the last few days.
Upon closer inspection over the weekend, I saw that at least someone is still getting to enjoy it: these Eastern Black Swallowtail larvae were beautifully feasting and stripped it fairly bare. Given what they promise to transform into, I am happy to offer up this sustenance.
While I think I've had nesting caterpillars in the upper branches of trees in years past, this is the first garden invasion I can remember. With that lovely coloring and speedy destruction of the greenery, they were an entertaining feast for the eyes.
Click on the above photo for a larger view, but this is a close-up of the photo from the top of the blog post, with 11 visible caterpillars marked with red arrows.
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