September can be a final push for many critters around here to finish the job of growing up and getting ready for colder weather. It's no big surprise that we're seeing a lot of butterflies in the garden this time of year. They started as tiny eggs on a leaf of some plant in the garden. When they hatched, they ate the leaves on that plant in the garden. When they got big enough, they formed a chrysalis around their bodies and pupated into their adult form: a butterfly. Now it's late summer and most of the plants and flowers are done with their growing for the year. Their flowers have now formed seed heads and they will either go dormant for the winter or be killed by the coming frosts. So we were surprised to see so much caterpillar activity so late in the season.
Some like these Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars will finish their larval stage, form a chrysalis and overwinter in the garden. When Spring warms the ground, they will finish pupating and emerge as butterflies to feed on the early blooms.
These Monarch caterpillars however, will have to complete their larval growth, pupate, emerge as butterflies AND THEN fly all the way to Central America! Before the first frost. Which for our area happens in mid to late October. They still have time.
