Spring has Sprung

  Spring has sprung here on the Bayou.  I know this because the little fennel-munchers are out in full force.  I hate to tell them but I like fennel, too, so they need to calm down a bit and let the stuff grow.  While out in the garden today, I noticed that not only is the broccoli being attacked but the fennel has literally been invaded!  I do not mind so much about the broccoli as it is about to be yanked from the ground to make room for the summer squash but, egad!, my fennel?  Is nothing sacred?

  Dozens upon dozens of the black swallowtail caterpillars are munching happily on the feathery fronds of the Florence  Fennel.  While this does not hurt the growth of the large fan-shaped root, the caterpillars will render the leaves into an unsightly mess!  But...that said...I hate to kill them.  It is sort of a conundrum.  Do I wish to have pretty herbs or do I want pretty butterflies?  Answer?  The caterpillars win.  I love to watch the butterflies flitting about in the garden so it is not in my will to kill the critters that are devouring my herbs.  Mother Nature wins again.  So be it.