THANK YOU for letting me know... I've been wanting to attract this type of butterfly to my little backyard for some time but I had not seen its caterpillar before.
My garden is butterfly friendly, so don't worry!
After reading the thread, I realized how, inadvertedly I ended up with a friendly environment for the giant swallowtail. You see, I have a dwarf bougainvillea, two rue plants, and the little lime tree side by side.
I am worried about two things: I was spraying the lime tree with Bayer 3 in 1 (I've had a battle with mites and whitefly this summer)... I didn't spray the cats directly, but now I'm worried that it might hurt them.
Do these cats have natural predators? I know that the monarch cats are pretty much left alone, but what about the swallowtail cats? Would it be a good idea to raise them on a butterfly cage to increase their chances of survival?
