A Lingering Swallowtail

A black swallowtail caterpillar in the foggy foggy dew

A little more than a week ago, while cutting herbs for dinner, I noticed something on the fennel.  A black swallowtail caterpillar was steadily chomping its way through a stalk. He was quite fat and satisfied. I think he's being a bit optimistic about his survival.  It is very late in the season.  I checked on him daily, and finally, one day, no more caterpillar. I haven't been able to find a chrysalis in the tangle of the herb garden, but it's a bit of a fall mess right now. The birds are eating their heads off at the feeder as they bulk up for migration and winter. He may have gotten eaten.  Either way, we enjoyed having another caterpillar to contemplate in all his stripy glory.  There's a reason I let the fennel reseed.