Swallowtails

[Dave McCormick]

I want to breed some swallowtails this year and wanted to know if Alexanders would work as a foodplant cause there is a lot round my area.

What foodplants besdide wild carrot and fennel would they eat? I was considerating breeding black swallowtails. Any hlep?

[Cotswold Cockney]

I Norfolk, I found the ova on Angelica .... an umbellifer plant like it's more usual foodplant in East Anglia .... Milk Parsley.

In Austria, I've seen the small larvae on Wild Carrot ... Daucus Carota (Spelling suspect )

[Dave McCormick]

Thanks again. I will start potting some plants soon.

[chitin]

Many Umbellifers and also Choysia and Rue !! Marsh Hogs Fennel seeds, its' natural foodplant (from Emorsgate Seeds) seems to require cold treatment, I sowed mine in mid October and its coming up quite thickly 2 inches high in an unheated greenhouse. It is relatively slow growing so thats for next year. Also Parsley which you can buy in pots at Asda etc.,relatively cheaply possibly for this year.
Pots of Angelica from Garden Centres are available and right now the plants are really getting away and quite root bound which should bound away when repotted. With wide leaves there is much more "bite" than Fennel. Trying them for the first time this year so not from personal experience. Fingers crossed

[chitin]

Discussing this with a friend and he advises not to use Carrot foliage from this years new plants but to buy old carrots and put them in sand and let them sprout. How true I don't know. Just bought some larvae of gorganus the continental subspecies which are transferring from the supplied garden Fennel to potted up same and Marsh Hogs Fennel. Also have English Swallowtail on order so will have to prioritise my meagre supply of plants inorder to have some for Ovipositing ( I should be so lucky )

[chitin]

What flowers do Swallowtails nectar at in the wild ? and what is best in captivity ?. My usual standby is French Marigolds, three to a 8 inch pot they keep going all summer and can be bought in flower very early. ditto Ageratum. this year i have also bought the Scabious sold in Garden Centres. Expensive but huge numbers of flower heads.