I would save the seeds if I ever got any but I have never cooked Fennel and probably never will since someone else likes it sooooo much. This is just one small plant out back, the other one there is covered with teeny tiny little eggs. And the two larger plants out front have eggs on them too. Man my yard is going to be swarming with Black Swallowtail butterflies later this summer. There are all ages of them there too from eggs to 5th instar cats...it's a regular caterpillar nursery. Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) Sooo many ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) Aren't they adorable??? ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden ) The largest one on the top, guess he got the flowers all to himself ( photo / image / picture from toni's Garden )
Toni you're as bad as me!! I grow plants for butterflies (and bees) in my garden too and no-one is allowed to even think of eating the plants they love. I wouldn't mind some of those cute and colourful caterpillars visiting my fennel!! :-D
Once when I was a kid, I collected a WHOLE lot of green cats and kept them in a fish bowl. I fed them every day a wet maple leaf and eventually they all spun cocoons... that's when I got a little lazy about replacing the top... I mean, they weren't MOVING... Well, you know what happened next, right? Once day when I looked in, the fish bowl was empty and so were all the cocoons... and some 20 or so MOTHS were loose in the house. Oooh, was my mom mad... Seriously, your cattys are so cute! I love that you guys grow stuff for the bugs and insects too. That is going to be such a beautiful sight when the butterflies emerge!!
