It’s early October and we still have a few Black Swallowtail caterpillars on our parsley. These last hangers-on will soon be leaving the host plant and going off to form chrysalides. But unlike earlier broods, the adult butterflies probably won’t emerge until next spring.
So as not to disturb our ‘babies’ as well as other species like the Cabbage White or the adult Mourning Cloak, we’ll try to leave most areas of our gardens ‘as-is’ over winter.
If you’re planning to cut back perennials or clean out beds this fall, be sure to check carefully – you never know who’s hiding there – and save the rest of the clean-up for spring.
