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Black Swallowtail Butterfly Host Plant Kit 
Black Swallowtail Butterfly Habitat KitYour kit includes everything you need to attract and nurture Black Swallowtail Butterflies!
Includes:
- Easy to Grow Host Plant
seeds - Growing Guide
- Caterpillar & Butterfly Conservation and Care Guide
- Plant ID Stakes
- Step by Step Instructions
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Black Swallowtail: Egg to Butterfly
Black Swallowtail Caterpillar eggs are laid singly on the leaves The Black and stems of the host plants. The cream colored, spherical eggs are about the size of a pinhead and will hatch in 3-5 days. When the eggs are close to hatching they will turn to a darker color. This dark color is the actual caterpillar growing inside!
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars eat plants in the Umbellifer family. This includes Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Queen Anne’s Lace and even carrot tops! When the baby caterpillars first hatch they are mostly dark and covered in tiny spikes. They have a single white patch across the middle and resemble a bird dropping. As they grow, they become a distinctively patterned green caterpillar with black bands and yellow-orange spots.
When disturbed, the caterpillar has a forked orange scent gland, called an osmeterium that pops out and emits a stinky odor. These caterpillars do not sting, so as long as you wash your hands before handling them, you can gently pick them up & pet them!
The Black Swallowtail Caterpillar will molt several times, before pupating & becoming a chrysalis. This usually takes about 10-14 days, from when the caterpillar first hatches. When the caterpillar is ready for this final stage, it will hang upright on a twig or plant stock. It then spins a silk girdle around its midsection. Its feet will be stuck in a silk pad, and this along with the girdle will hold it in place. The Black Swallowtail chrysalis (pronounced: chris-a-lis) will either be green or brown, depending on where the caterpillar pupates, so it can best blend with its surroundings.
In about 9-11 days, your butterfly will be ready to emerge! About a day before emergence, the chrysalis turns clear and you can see the butterfly wing patterns inside!
Normally, most butterflies emerge early in the morning, just as the sun is coming up. Its wings will be very small and crumpled, but as the butterfly hangs to dry, it pumps fluid through tiny veins, into its wings. In a few hours, its wings will be hardened and dry and the butterfly will be ready to take flight.
Black Swallowtail Butterflies favorite nectar plants include Orange Butterfly Weed and Butterfly Bush. So if you plant these in your garden, your butterflies will stay and start the life-cycle process all over again!
Black Swallowtail: Egg to Butterfly
The Black Swallowtail Butterfly is one of the most commonly encountered
garden butterflies. You can find them in any open area, from rural farmland
meadows to urban parks and home gardens. They are amazingly beautiful. With a
wingspan of up to 4 inches and distinctive black and light colored markings,
they are easily recognizable. The male has a row of large light colored spots
across the middle of his wings and the female has smaller spots and a patch of
vibrant blue across her lower wings. Both the male and female have two long
tails, hence the name, swallowtail butterfly.
Black Swallowtail Caterpillar eggs are laid singly on the leaves The Black and stems of the host plants. The cream colored, spherical eggs are about the size of a pinhead and will hatch in 3-5 days. When the eggs are close to hatching they will turn to a darker color. This dark color is the actual caterpillar growing inside!
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars eat plants in the Umbellifer family. This includes Dill, Fennel, Parsley, Queen Anne’s Lace and even carrot tops! When the baby caterpillars first hatch they are mostly dark and covered in tiny spikes. They have a single white patch across the middle and resemble a bird dropping. As they grow, they become a distinctively patterned green caterpillar with black bands and yellow-orange spots.
When disturbed, the caterpillar has a forked orange scent gland, called an osmeterium that pops out and emits a stinky odor. These caterpillars do not sting, so as long as you wash your hands before handling them, you can gently pick them up & pet them!
The Black Swallowtail Caterpillar will molt several times, before pupating & becoming a chrysalis. This usually takes about 10-14 days, from when the caterpillar first hatches. When the caterpillar is ready for this final stage, it will hang upright on a twig or plant stock. It then spins a silk girdle around its midsection. Its feet will be stuck in a silk pad, and this along with the girdle will hold it in place. The Black Swallowtail chrysalis (pronounced: chris-a-lis) will either be green or brown, depending on where the caterpillar pupates, so it can best blend with its surroundings.
In about 9-11 days, your butterfly will be ready to emerge! About a day before emergence, the chrysalis turns clear and you can see the butterfly wing patterns inside!
Normally, most butterflies emerge early in the morning, just as the sun is coming up. Its wings will be very small and crumpled, but as the butterfly hangs to dry, it pumps fluid through tiny veins, into its wings. In a few hours, its wings will be hardened and dry and the butterfly will be ready to take flight.
Black Swallowtail Butterflies favorite nectar plants include Orange Butterfly Weed and Butterfly Bush. So if you plant these in your garden, your butterflies will stay and start the life-cycle process all over again!
Other Items You May Be Interested In
What to Look for in Your Black Swallowtail Garden
1. Black Swallowtail Butterflies will find your host plants and lay tiny eggs.
Black Swallowtail Egg
2. Within a few days the eggs will hatch, and your caterpillars will start happily munching away.
Caterpillar 3. Next, your chubby little caterpillars will form a chrysalis.
Chrysalis
4. Beautiful butterflies will emerge to lay eggs and begin the amazing butterfly lifecycle again! 
Mature Butterfly
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Host Plants
Petroselinium Crispum
Hercules Dill
Anethum Graveolens
Fennel
Foenizulum Vulgare
