Bring In Plants to Overwinter, not BUGS 🕷🐞 🐜

Greetings Good GROWer,

I hope this Sunday finds you SWELL 🤗

Last week I shared which plants to consider overwintering indoors and how this can give you a huge head start on next spring.

So now that you've (hopefully) figured out what to bring in, here are the steps we take to avoid hosting Winter BUGAPALOOZA inside your home...

How To Overwinter Plants...without BUGS 🪴🤔

Many unsuspecting gardeners think they'll only be bringing in plants to overwinter, but are soon overcome by an unwelcome swarm of overwintering BUGS. 🪰😱

Here's how you can prevent this from happening in your home:

12 Tips for Overwintering Butterfly Plants Indoors

Meanwhile, we’ve been in kind of a holding pattern with the final two eastern black swallowtail caterpillars we are raising to overwinter OUTDOORS…

Raising Report 

I can now say with 100% certainty the 5 swallowtails we’re raising would not have survived without our help because:

• wasps would have likely eaten all of them in early October (there were at least 10 caterpillars when I first saw them)

• at least 2 would have succumbed to cold temps before forming their chrysalides…and possibly all 5. It would have been a close call 🌿🐛🥶

The last 2 caterpillars are still eating parsley, but even indoors, they are growing at a snail’s pace. 🐌

I was incorrect that 3 had formed chrysalides last week, it was only two. but a third fat cat disappeared almost a week ago and I’m assuming, by now, has also formed a chrysalis somewhere inside the cage.

In case you’re wondering why I’ve essentially lost two swallowtails inside the enclosure, they are different compared to monarchs for a couple of reasons:

1. They are obsessed with hiding, and they are the ultimate masters for both location and…

2. Camouflage! The second photo below says it all:

Due to caterpillar-killing weather outdoors, they are currently inside. Over the next few days, I will open the deck door so the chrysalides are exposed to natural heat and humidity that keeps the chrysalides in their winter slumber

Once all 5 are chrysalides, they will be rolled back outside to overwinter in freezing temps ⬅️ until they emerge next spring.

I do love this set up, but there is one change I will make raising forward (with swallowtails)…

Outdoor Raising Setup

Unlike Monarchs, swallowtails are serious about hiding their chrysalides, so I literally have no idea where they are inside this massive enclosure except when they hide in plain sight, like the one pictured above.

My guess is the ‘missing chrysalides’ are under their deck railing container, which easily has enough space for them to eclose and dry their wings next spring.

If butterflies eclose under the container, there will be sticks on the cage floor so they can crawl up to dry their wings in the sun next spring.

However, trying to find 5 chrysalides in here might be quite the adventure…this would be much simpler if I put them in one or two indoor mesh cages and placed those inside the outdoor enclosure like this:

For more info on this evolving outdoor set up, check out:

How to Raise Butterflies Outdoors ⬅️

It might be late to utilize this set up in 2025, but this could make an amazing holiday butterfly gift for 2026! 🎁🎄

Coming Up Next

Well discuss gardening tips for the fall and what to consider leaving until SPRING.

Until next time,

Tony your Butterfly Guide