Hi, I was successful in attracting the black swallowtail to the parsley I planted this summer. I had about 8 cats total but each day one would be missing and after I came back from out of town, one was left still eating. I wanted to protect the last one from predators so I put a mesh laundry container over the plant staked it down. This one is now a green chrysalis attached to the parsley stem.
Due to the high summer temps reaching in the 90's and may go higher, I was wondering if I should bring it into the garage until it emerges if it does? My husband said to leave it alone and to watch for it to emerge over the next 2 weeks. He knows I have bad luck interfering with nature. I would prefer to leave it outside still attached to the plant but if I can increase its chance of reaching butterfly stage I'll do my best to bring it into the garage.
Thanks for any advice.
Karen says:
I would recommend leaving it outside. It sounds like you have it protected somewhat. Chrysalis are quite fragile and it is best to handle them as little as possible.
In the future consider.....I always tell people if they really want to see the life cycle and save butterflies, they should bring the eggs or caterpillars inside. The percentage of eggs and caterpillars that actually make it through the full life cycle outside is VERY low, so you are actually saving the butterflies...and getting tremendous enjoyment in watching the miraculous life cycle! This, of course, is my personal opinion :)