'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'...

This has been an exceptional year for Black Swallowtail Butterflies, at least judging by the numbers of caterpillars on the fennel plants. Monarchs...not so much. Although our Swamp Milkweed 'crop' has been good and I did witness eggs being laid, few of the tiny Monarch caterpillars survived even to chrysalis stage. I want to believe that some years are just better for them than others. But I fear that this is an ominous sign. 
The title above references a classic 1969 children's picture book by Eric Carle.  m