They're back!

They're back!  After much anticipation, the swallowtail caterpillars are back.  We haven't seen any adults flying around, but obviously they've visited. 

These were all shot the evening of 29-June and most used a flash because I shot them around 9PM. 

This guy (or gal) was munching on some baby parsley.  He's about 1.25" (~3cm) long, so he's been here for a while. It's safely in a container in out kitchen for the next few weeks being pampered.

We have milkweed growing to attract  Monarch butterfly's, but none yet. 

Update 30-June - good thing I took the time to photograph the eggs.  Today, they had all hatched!

Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens
Exposure 0.8 sec @ f7.1
ISO 800
aperture priority
Curves adjusted for contrast

Here's a first.  A baby caterpillar just outside their egg.  Pretty cool, eh?  You can see how it ate a hole in the shell to get out. 

Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens
Exposure 4.0 sec @ f4.0
ISO 400
aperture priority
Curves adjusted for contrast

Here's a shot of an egg next to a ruler to give you perspective.  The markings are 1/16", so it's probably 1/32" (0.08cm) in diameter!  We counted at least 6 eggs. 

Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens
Exposure 25.0 sec @ f9.0
ISO 800
aperture priority
Curves adjusted for contrast