Sort of an update. I think the first go round was a bust. If any of the caterpillars survived to produce a new butterfly, I don't know it. The fennel did begin to grow back and before it was very large it was again covered in little caterpillars. Waaaay too many on a plant that size. I hadn't noticed a butterfly, so I was caught off guard on seeing so many. This time I removed all but two caterpillars which ended up being three since I had overlooked one. The fennel did support those three, but barely. They have survived and one new butterfly emerged. They liked the daylily scapes to hang on. The fennel is growing again, and if there's another repeat there is enough foliage this time to support 5-6. If they'll wait and let it grow a bit, it will support more.
