Palanan
2013-05-02, 08:23 PM
If anyone needs a tiny positive note today, my tiger swallowtail emerged yesterday morning, after spending all winter and much of a chilly spring in my garage and on my deck. I'd almost given up on him, and yet here he is.
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj591/WSTC007/swallowtailmesh.jpg
I found him as a healthy caterpillar last fall, still clinging to a small native magnolia that had been hacked down by overzealous "trail maintenance" volunteers in a local forest. With his tree dead, the caterpillar might have triggered for an early pupation and possibly survived, but I figured he'd have a better chance with me.
So, once he emerged as a new swallowtail, I took him back to the same spot where I found him, where the dried branches of the hacked-down sapling still show through the spring's new growth. It was a chilly afternoon, so he only clung to a stem rather than flying off, but he should be okay.
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj591/WSTC007/swallowtailperched.jpg
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj591/WSTC007/swallowtailmesh.jpg
I found him as a healthy caterpillar last fall, still clinging to a small native magnolia that had been hacked down by overzealous "trail maintenance" volunteers in a local forest. With his tree dead, the caterpillar might have triggered for an early pupation and possibly survived, but I figured he'd have a better chance with me.
So, once he emerged as a new swallowtail, I took him back to the same spot where I found him, where the dried branches of the hacked-down sapling still show through the spring's new growth. It was a chilly afternoon, so he only clung to a stem rather than flying off, but he should be okay.
http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/jj591/WSTC007/swallowtailperched.jpg