https://staging.caroldukeflowers.com/flower-hill-farm-butterflies-of-2012-swallowtails-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=flower-hill-farm-butterflies-of-2012-swallowtails-2 B&B, Retreat, Vacation Rental Flower Hill Farm in Williamsburg MA Western Mass 20 minutes outside of Northampton MA 413-268-7481 Sun, 08 Mar 2015 02:41:33 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.8.13 https://staging.caroldukeflowers.com/flower-hill-farm-butterflies-of-2012-swallowtails-2/#comment-174441 Sun, 08 Mar 2015 02:41:33 +0000 http://staging.caroldukephotography.com/flower-hill-farm-butterflies-of-2012-swallowtails-2/#comment-174441 […]  Giant Swallowtails are the largest and most interesting caterpillars I have yet to know. I owe my acquaintance with these chocolate and white larva wearing elaborate headdresses to climate change and my friend Eva. Recently there have been significant sightings of Giant Swallowtail Butterflies here in Western Massachusetts. These migrant Lepidoptera were considered rare sightings before and would not have laid their eggs towards the end of the summer for our winter would be too severe for the survival of their later formed chrysalises. In 2014 I had more sightings of the butterflies in my gardens than any other year. Amazingly, they seemed to survive the birds for more than a day. My gardens did not offer their host plant Northern Prickly Ash or the non-native Rue but there were a couple small non-native Dictamnus or Gas Plants they must have determined insignificant. All three of these plants are in the Rutaceae family. […]

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