River Talk correction

Copy that ran in last week’s (issue 43) “River Talk” column beneath the picture of a black swallowtail caterpillar was the copy that had already run in issue 42. To clear up any confusion caused by TRR’s error, we have printed below the column Ed Wesely submitted for issue 43.

Late caterpillar. If we grow carrots, parsley or dill in the garden, we often play host to caterpillars, such as the one in my photograph. In late June, when swallowtail butterflies are daily visitors, I expect to find eight or 10 of these caterpillars with their alternating green and black stripes, the black decorated with yellow dots.

But surprisingly in early October, I found a larva from a final, less conspicuous generation of swallowtails. The chrysalis it formed on my clothespin will remain in the barn, subject to temperatures and hatching cues that will deliver a new swallowtail in time for next spring’s buttercups.