Knowledgebase
I'd catapeler #807460
Asked August 22, 2022, 1:06 PM EDT
Ashtabula County Ohio
Expert Response
A verbal description is not adequate for anyone to be able to identify a creature. So, to be honest, I don’t know what you have. However, I’m going to offer two possibilities, bot of which are caterpillars that might be seen on fennel (I’m assuming your licorice plant is fennel), and both of which are the larval forms of beautiful butterflies. If either of these is correct, I hope you will allow them to share your plants and complete their life cycles.
You might be seeing the larval form of the American Lady butterfly. Read about it and see pictures of it by following this link:
American Lady | Missouri Department of Conservation (mo.gov)
A common caterpillar on fennel is the larval form of the Swallowtail butterfly. It doesn't have bristles, however. You can see it and read about it by following this link:
Fennel - Advice From The Herb Lady
If neither of those is what you are seeing, please feel free to resubmit your query along with a couple of good, clear, close-up photos.
On Wednesday, August 24, 2022, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Dear Mark, here's the response to your question:
A verbal description is not adequate for anyone to be able to identify a creature. So, to be honest, I don’t know what you have. However, I’m going to offer two possibilities, bot of which are caterpillars that might be seen on fennel (I’m assuming your licorice plant is fennel), and both of which are the larval forms of beautiful butterflies. If either of these is correct, I hope you will allow them to share your plants and complete their life cycles.
You might be seeing the larval form of the American Lady butterfly. Read about it and see pictures of it by following this link:
American Lady | Missouri Department of Conservation (mo.gov)
A common caterpillar on fennel is the larval form of the Swallowtail butterfly. It doesn't have bristles, however. You can see it and read about it by following this link:
Fennel - Advice From The Herb Lady
If neither of those is what you are seeing, please feel free to resubmit your query along with a couple of good, clear, close-up photos.
Need to reply to the expert? Click the link below, or simply reply to this email.
Click here to view #0077391
Jane K.
If you would like to learn more, check out these resources:
BYGL Newsletter: http://bygl.osu.edu/
OSUE Factsheets: http://ohioline.osu.edu
State Master Gardener Volunteer website: http://mastergardener.osu.edu
We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses.
Black Swallowtail - Papilio polyxenes (butterflygardeningandconservation.com)
On Friday, September 2, 2022, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Dear Mark, here's the response to your question:
The picture you attached comes through as fuzzy, but I think your caterpillar is a larval form a black swallowtail butterfly. The link below will take you to pictures of the various instars (stages) of the caterpillar prior to pupation. It gives lots of information about the life stages as well as pictures of regular and unusual looking caterpillars that are also black swallowtails. I hope this is of help.
Black Swallowtail - Papilio polyxenes (butterflygardeningandconservat ion.com)
Need to reply to the expert? Click the link below, or simply reply to this email.
Click here to view #0077391
Jane K.
If you would like to learn more, check out these resources:
BYGL Newsletter: http://bygl.osu.edu/
OSUE Factsheets: http://ohioline.osu.edu
State Master Gardener Volunteer website: http://mastergardener.osu.edu
We hope this response has sufficiently answered your questions. If not, please do not send another email. Instead, reply to this email or login to your account for a complete archive of all your support requests and responses.
