Black Swallowtail Caterpillars

I spotted the first black swallowtail caterpillar this week in my garden.  It was eating away at the parsley and growing larger every day.  It brought back fond memories of my days as a school garden coordinator.  I really enjoyed being a school garden coordinator.  It was fulfilling to garden and share it with the next generation.  I loved that the students were able to have that outdoor time to explore a garden at school.  Many students didn't come from a home where there was a vegetable patch or a parent that knew how to garden.  I always hoped that their time in the school garden would inspire them to become gardeners one day. 

One of my favorite exercises in the school garden was with the second grade classes.  Because they learned the life cycle of plants and animals during science that year, it was a perfect segway to plant a butterfly garden.  Every spring we would sow seeds for plants that would attract the different life cycles of a butterfly.  When the students came back the next year, if everything went according to plan, they would see the caterpillars, chrysalis and the butterflies during the month of September.