
Papilio rutulus



Our most common garden butterfly is one that does not delight me. The cabbage white has a natural range across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It was accidentally introduced to Canada around 1860 and spread rapidly throughout North America. Estimates show that a single female of this species might, in a few generations, be the progenitor of millions.
That’s a lot of caterpillars eating my brassicas 😖

This week in the perpetual journal … I’ve been seeing a lot of swallowtails recently — big and beautiful!

Hiking in Santa Ynez Canyon yesterday, Annette spotted this Anise Swallowtail caterpillar munching on wild fennel, their preferred food source.

I attended a Youtube Livestream last night with a super-enthusiastic entomologist, who weekly magnifies and explains one insect for our edification and sketching pleasure. She goes fast and meanders frequently—it’s pretty hectic (but fun). I filled several pages with scribbled notes and sketches which I consolidated into this page after the session.