Put the piece in water, and raise the butterflies. You can transfer the caterpillars back to the garden after the eggs hatch, or keep them inside and watch them grow. Provide more food as they need it.

Thank you BM, I have a butterfly keeper pop up thing that we got from insect lore last year, could I use that... if so what would be the best way to wash it?

I would soak it for about 5 minutes in a 10% bleach solution, then rinse.

To continue feeding your babies, cut fresh dill, parsley, rue, or fennel and put in a small necked vase or go to a florist and get a water tube that is used for orchid stems. (they are bigger than the ones used for roses, but the rose one will work too.) The tubes are good because they hold the herbs up nicely and the lid keeps the caterpillar poop out of the water :) I put my tubes in shot glasses to hold them vertical.

If you run out of herbs and there is a Whole Foods near you, they carry organic parsley. I like the italian flat leaf better - it is easier to see small caterpillars on the leaves. Even though it is organic, I rinse it well anyway. Since I only use a little at a time, I cut the stems and put the rest of the bunch in a glass with 2" of water, then keep in the fridge.

Good luck!

First are these Swallowtail eggs... and I how long will it take to hatch...

Edit: Nevermind. I'll go with Sandy's answer.

This post was edited by kcclark on Thu, Jun 20, 13 at 17:21

They could be Black Swallowtail eggs that are ready to eclose. Were they cream colored earlier? Normally the mama BS lays one single cream-colored egg on a stem and then moves on. However, I have found clusters of eggs before--maybe a female that doesn't have as good control over her egg-layer! I think it's called an ovipositor. The tiny caterpillars are dark specks. As they mature they will have a light colored band across the middle of the body. It will take several days and molts for them to resemble the stripped cats that you see in the photos.

Good Luck,

Sandy

This post was edited by butterflymomok on Thu, Jun 20, 13 at 17:01

I don't know Sandy I seen them after I picked the dill. I tried to get a better picture of them but it didn't work lol