Found two caterpillars in garden on dill...

Question

Found two caterpillars on dill in garden. Both are smooth, plump. Black with lime green stripes and every other stripe (on black) has 3-4 yellow dots.

Cutest things. Daughter has them in bug home.

Want to have them change to butterflies. Would love to know what they are. Thought they were Swallowtail but wrong colors on stripes.

Thanx for help.

Answer 1

They do sound like black swallowtail caterpillars.  Your best bet is to let them do what nature intended, and put them back on the dill plants.  They will most likely decline or perish in a bug container, no matter how well you try to care for them.

I plant Dill and Fennel in my garden each year for the little guys!  Curly parsley is another host plant for butterfly caterpillars, along with swamp milkweed (garden centers are starting to carry it more often).

Answer 2

They do sound like Black Swallowtail caterpillars.  They are cute:

http://www.web-nat.com/Butterfly/caterpi...