The beautiful Black Eastern swallowtail is present in most of the US east of the Rocky Mountains. Although they are not considered a threatened species like the monarch, I enjoy raising them from eggs, which are easier to spot than monarch eggs. The swallowtail baby caterpillars are also easier to spot.

Their host plant is herbs, especially fennel (a perennial) and parsley (an annual). I keep several pots of parsley around the yard and have fennel planted and as a result can harvest and raise as many as I want. Unlike monarchs, swallowtails do not migrate. In the wild, they try to locate the chrysalis which will be the overwintering one in a place protected from the elements. Last fall, for the first time, I collected some swallowtail chrysalises that I kept in containers in my unheated garage. A picture of one is attached. The chrysalises are hard to spot because they are disguised as tree bark. There are at least four in the aquarium.

I gave a chrysalis to a neighbor, but she received a surprise about a week ago. The picture is attached. Because she kept in the house, it emerged too early and if she lets it go outside it will freeze to death at night. She is attempting to keep it in a mesh clothes hamper until we start seeing swallowtails outside.

Butterfly eggs and larva do not require any liquid other than what they get while feeding. Adult butterflies, on the other hand do require some liquid along with pollen. The question most of us answered on our profile page "Beer or wine?" Would be 100% for beer if butterflies were asked the same question. The reason is that they like yeast, which is present in beer. You can set up feeding stations for them by pouring beer and water in a dish along with small pieces of fruit. If you coat the rim of the dish with Vaseline it will keep the ants from getting into it.

The attached picture shows a baby swallowtail caterpillar on the parsley leaf, and a baby monarch on the milkweed.