A few weeks ago I was weeding all of the grass that likes to grow in massive clusters in my front garden box where I have my herbs.

Seriously if only the grass would grow on the lawn like it grows in my garden areas!

Anyway I spotted a bright caterpillar on a stalk of dill.  An unlikely place, I thought, to find such a creature, but I was happy because normally the only caterpillars we come across are the ones that turn into giant ugly brown moths.  Even a luna moth caterpillar would be welcome, but no such luck.

Until that day.

We brought him in the house, stuck him in a glass jar along with the stalk of dill he had been working on, and by the next evening he was spun into a nice chrysalis.

Then the waiting game began.

We looked up what type of butterfly we were growing – a Black Swallowtail Butterfly – and read all about how they grow and how they change and how long it takes.

And then two days ago….

Our patience and vigilance paid off.

We set him out on the blooming butterfly bush out front and watched him fan out and dry his wings for awhile before taking off into the world.

Good luck out there little butterfly!