Thompson's Tree Quest

🦋 Monarch caterpillars are usually found on milkweed, and they become one of America’s most loved butterflies, famous for their long migration.

🦋 Black Swallowtail caterpillars are often found on parsley, dill, fennel, carrots, and Queen Anne’s lace, and they become beautiful garden pollinators.

🦋 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars usually live on wild cherry, tulip tree, birch, ash, and other native trees, and the adults are important nectar visitors.

🦋 Mourning Cloak caterpillars are often found on willow, elm, birch, poplar, and hackberry, and they become one of the first butterflies seen in spring.

🦋 Red Admiral caterpillars usually hide in folded leaves of nettles and false nettle, and the adults help pollinate flowers while feeding on nectar.

🦋 Luna Moth caterpillars are found on walnut, hickory, sweetgum, birch, and persimmon, and they become one of the most beautiful native moths in the USA.

🦋 Cecropia Moth caterpillars are often found on maple, cherry, apple, birch, willow, and lilac, and they become North America’s largest native moth.

🦋 Tomato Hornworm caterpillars are usually found on tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes, but they become large native hawkmoths, so it’s better to move them instead of crushing them.

Thanks, Jeff Beeler. Solid advice.

Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala)
2nd largest leaf behind its cousin the BigLeaf Magnolia. What a beautiful display of foliage. A host for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. Native to the Shenandoah Valley and beyond.
Boxerwood Nature Center