Do you think he is okay?

I am worried the dried fumes from the floor cleaner poisoned him

We live on the fourth floor of a one bedroom apartment. There is no garden. All we have is 5 plants on our window sill

The only thing I can add is that, in my first experience trying to keep caterpillars, they were somehow poisoned and they “vomited” green fluid while writhing around. If that’s not happening to yours, maybe he will be okay? I think the person that answered is right he looks huge in the pic and They “wander” when ready to find a place to form a chrysalis. I hope things are going okay now!

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I bought him a new dill plant and placed him in that so he wasn’t laying in his feces. He is still on his side. But I see his tail twitch every now and then. I can’t see his head... it is buried in the baby dill stems. I hope he makes it. I couldn’t sleep last night because I felt so bad that the floor cleaner maybe killed him. Thank you for the feedback.

> He is still on his side.

Regardless of cause, the caterpillar is unwell. Seriously and irreversibly.

Yes. Sadly, he died. I am still so sad. I appreciate everyone’s feedback.

i'm sorry your little friend didn't make it but i commend you for trying!

Where did he come from?

We bought the baby herb plants from Home Depot where the garden section was outdoors. He must have come in on the plant from Home Depot. It took nearly two weeks before I even noticed him. He ate the ENTIRE parsley plant. I am still sad that he died before becoming a butterfly. I let him down. :(

It's okay. I happened to me once. If you want to hear the story tell me.

Chances are, he was trying to find a place to pupate. They usually prefer to pupate away from the food source. If you didn't notice green vomit or he didn't turn brown and "deflate", it probably wasn't the floor cleaner. Handling a caterpillar can cause stress. He may have also worn himself out trying to get away from the parsley each time he was placed back in it. It's not uncommon for herb plants from HD to have little butterfly eggs. If you're lucky to get another one next season and find a wandering caterpillar, try placing it in a clear container (at least the size of a shoe box) that has holes for air. Place it vertically (so it's taller than it is wide) and prop sticks inside. Black swallowtails like to create their chrysalises on vertically. Then, just place the box somewhere where you can see it and wait for your butterfly to emerge!

I've got a pupater.

His life in pics:

Pic 1:

Egg Stage:

Pic 2:

Caterpillar Stage 5th instar:

Pic 3:

Pupa Stage: