Swallowtail Caterpillar on Parsley

I just love this photo. I took it in my herb garden last year and I think it shows how incredible mother nature is.

It truly is a "Where's Waldo" type photograph. You can look and look and look and still not see it... it is natural camouflage working overtime.

Do you see it?

Look again.

Look harder.

It's there ... honest.

See it now?

Yes, that's right. It's a swallowtail caterpillar munching on some flowering parsley.

Parsley is a biennial and will flower if left in the garden for a second year. I had had a fantastic harvest of parsley the year before last and since the plant didn't seem to die back completely, I left it alone to continue growing for a second year. It flowered like crazy that year and just as the swallowtail caterpillars seem to find it, the plant started turning the exact same yellow and black as the caterpillars it had attracted.

It was as if the parsley and the caterpillars were working together in perfect harmony. They were yin and yang and together they had become a single sea of black, white and yellow. They had magically joined together to form a whole that was greater than their separate parts.

OK, well maybe it wasn't THAT philosophical, but it WAS pretty cool.

And beautiful.

And amazing.

And worth growing some parsley. :-)

Sep 06 2013

Join the Conversation!

Michael
September 10, 2013

Where's the red hat?

Reply

Caryl
September 10, 2013

HAHA! Let me know when you see the red Waldo hat!


Myrtle
September 10, 2013

I LOVE your photography. I LOVE your gardening. I LOVE your writing. And I am giddy-over-the-moon you finally created a blog!

Reply

Caryl
September 10, 2013

Thank you Myrtle!! xx


Post a Comment

Your Name
Website (optional)
Check here to receive an email notification when someone replies directly to your comment
Help me fight spammers! Please enter the answer to 1 + 1 below