Plants and Caterpillars

Work is in full swing already -- hello, busy season at the restaurant! Though it has taken away a bit from what I'd really like to be doing, I still, of course, have found time for gardening and knitting.

Unfortunately, with all of the wonky weather we had earlier with the ups and downs in temperature, all of my cool weather plants have gone to seed as a result.  We are planning on tearing down the rows of arugula, bok choy, and mizuna and then replant them now that the weather is fluctuating less. This was a bit of a bummer to say the least, but I'd rather replant and have a successful harvest rather than be eating bitter, woody greens.

monarch larva

nearly ripe strawberry (...I ate all of the ripe ones without thinking to take a picture...)

red core chantenay carrots

BEETS!

I watched as a female black swallowtail butterfly laid two eggs on my flat-leaf parsley.

 the cayenne pepper is growing!

 the bees

 early broccoli

 borage

seed carrot from last year

 lemon balm that I found and transplanted

jasmine-scented nicotiana -- it's getting bigger!

 an unknown species (to me, anyway) of chrysalis.  The larva was feeding on stinging nettle.

 these two were also found on the stinging nettle.
larva of the black chrysalis two photos above.