Knowledgebase

catepillar #880489

Asked August 07, 2024, 8:38 AM EDT

Hi, I have 10 black swallowtail catepillars on this tiny fennel. I did not know they liked fennel or I would have planted more. I am concerned they will run out of food. Is it okay to move them to a parsley or supplement their diet with store bought herbs?

Anne Arundel County Maryland

Expert Response

Wow! Look at them! What cuties! 

Parsley, fennel, dill, carrots and similar plants in the Apiaceae family. they seem to love. Store bought herbs may not be safe due to pesticides or other preservatives that could be on them. They will most likely find a food source they need or by natural selection become food for a bird or another predator. 

You could scour a local garden center for any discount herbs, not that they will be very large but could give you some additional food sources to get going for next year.

Emily

Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied August 07, 2024, 9:58 AM EDT
Emily,

Thank you for the great suggestion! The second local garden center I called has five fennel plants. I bought them over the phone and will pick them up this afternoon. This is my second batch of black swallowtail caterpillars. The first time, they were on dill.  I planted dill and parsley for them.  I bought the brown fennel plant because I thought it looked neat. I did not realize they liked fennel too.  Next year my garden will have plenty of fennel.

Andrea

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 7, 2024, at 9:58 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied August 07, 2024, 11:02 AM EDT

The bronze leaf fennel re-seeds easily and can be a little difficult to control and pull as it gets bigger because of the tap root. If you want to control spread you can snip off the flowers before they go to seed or pull seedlings when they are young. Caterpillars, and many other insects love it! 

Happy gardening!

Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied August 07, 2024, 11:14 AM EDT

Loading ...