I had thought the caterpillar season was over.
As I was weeding the blue slope the other evening, I noticed tons of them on the spindly remains of my bronze fennel.
This is the caterpillar of the eastern black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes. There must have been ten or so, ranging from fat ones like these to tiny ones perhaps three quarters of an inch long, on one plant alone.
With any luck, I will have a second chance to watch a chrysalis.
Chatham County Extension Agent Debbie Roos has noticed the same phenomenon in her nearby pollinator paradise garden. By the way, she has a terrific list of butterfly- and bee-friendly plants at this site.
MissingHenryMitchell 
Hope you get to watch another chrysalis. Very nice photos. Thanks for the extension agent references. Wonder what happened to Al Cooke?
Thanks! I don’t know what happened to Al Cooke. But I did just learn that Debbie is giving tours of the pollinator garden tomorrow (Wed., Sept. 11) at 5:30: 480 Hillsboro St., Pittsboro, NC 27312
Those butterflies must get around! I had a little chuckle yesterday when I saw a young caterpillar on my own parsley. They must have gotten the memo up here too since I also thought it was too late…. but I guess they kind of know what they’re doing?
I hope so! Maybe they are an early indicator of a long, cool autumn. That is entirely wishful thinking on my part, but I will believe it to be so until someone wise tells me I’m dead wrong.