Do You See What I See?

We have been having a heatwave. It has been in the 90s every day and horribly dry. So, I was pretty delighted to get rain yesterday and a rather substantial storm today. I didn't even mind that I had to go around and tie a few things up and stake a couple of others. While staking this milkweed, I spotted this Monarch caterpillar. It seems that our little guy didn't become a snack, after all. He is doing quite well.

Spotting this guy reminded me to take a look for black swallowtail caterpillars. At a quick glance, I saw three in the kitchen garden. In fact, we had about fifteen of them today. Our dill bed isn't as substantial as it should be and doesn't provide as much cover as I would like. So, we are likely to bring a few in to the safety of the porch. I am distressed at how few butterflies I have seen this year. One Monarch and two swallowtails just doesn't cut it for me. I'd like to foster a few, in the hopes of seeing more.

Photos are here.