#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Transplants

Woke early for a busy day. Prepped for clients and group, then out to garden in the humid air and hot sun. One of the things I did was transplant seven milkweed plants from the pollinator garden where they are hugely thriving, to this area I’m starting a garden in next to the tennis court. I don’t know if they’ll adapt here, but I’m going to try. I mean, that’s how I got them into what became my pollinator garden in the first place. I double watered them. We shall see. I didn’t have time to do all my planting before needing to go in. I had two memoir coaching clients to work with, a poetry share with my friend, and my grandmother workshop. A very rich and satisfying day. I shared my new poem with my friend and got helpful feedback. Grandmother writing workshop was deep and rich. Then, by the end of the day, I was ready to return to the gardening. I need to get the ten or so small hydrangeas I got a few days ago into the ground of the side garden. Gosh, still so humid. But they all went in and were thoroughly watered. Then I happened to take a close look at my fennel plant and found this very bright caterpillar, and actually, there were four. As it turns out, these will become butterflies—black swallowails!

Black Swallotail Caterpillar on Fennel Plant

A fennel caterpillar is most commonly the larva of the Black Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes), featuring distinct green, black, and yellow-spotted markings. These insects use feathery herbs like fennel as a primary host plant to eat and grow before transforming into a chrysalis.