I'm betting someone on here knows the process. I've planted dill last year and this year, as that's supposed to attract the black swallowtails. Not having any luck at all.
Does it take a few years to get established? Do they lay eggs one year, then they hatch the next year? Will I kill the larvae/eggs if I till it in the fall? Too early yet? What the heck.

We had a late freeze that delayed things here.

Lots of things can happen.

Something can kill the caterpillars.

Something can eat the eggs.

You would think it wouldn't be that hard to raise a couple of butterflies, but it turns out uts like everything else.

Complicated.

My Sister's hubby came in and proudly told her he had found and killed 18 "worms" crawling around on her dill plants.......... ............ ..................

They overwinter, but they'll have a couple of hatches here.

I was at a greenhouse and the guy proudly told me he moved the swallowtail caterpillars to the milkweed.

I didn't have the heart to tell him he killed them by doing that.

Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) is a native perrenial that also serves as a host plant for swallowtails. We grow and sell it and often sell quarts and gallons with eggs/ caterpillars on them. If you can find any it's worth a shot.

I haven't seen eggs or larvae on ours yet, it may be a little early still.

And would have told him he deserved to know so he wouldn’t keep doing it

Some years we see none and other years there are lots, we get more of the yellows then the black though on any year

I'm probly not in an A-1 geographical location to attract them here.

Probably should have.

I'm sure it will all work out.

Water seems to attract butterflies better than about anything else in hot dry weather. We often get over 100 butterflies, made up of 8 different species, by our wellhead, drinking where we fill water jugs and clean and rinse waterers and bowls.

Keith

Todays specimen looks freshly emerged.
The carrots are some of their food here. Have found them on Bishops Gout quite often.