Giant Swallowtail Butterfly Eggs (with updates)

A Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio Cresphontes) has been visiting our garden recently and deposited eggs on our Rue plant (Ruta Graveolens), a host plant for the giant swallowtail.  I'm hoping to raise them indoors, away from preditors, so I snipped the branches with eggs attached and placed the stems in a vase with water to keep them fresh. 

Update: August 7th

The first cat emerged from its egg today.  The shell will be its first meal.


Update: August 26

Seven caterpillars have been growing in my cage and the largest has reached the size of 2 inches long!  I keep replenishing their supply of rue, since they're big eaters!


Update:  September 10

The last of my seven giant swallowtails has formed its chrysalis.  The photo shows two in the foreground and two monarch chrysalises in the background of the cage.

I think the giant swallowtails will winter over and eclose sometime in May of next year.  The monarchs will eclose in a couple days and head for Mexico for the winter.

The post below from July 23rd of this year shows the Giant Swallowtail that visited my garden and laid the eggs that resulted in the above chrysalises.