Hello - I currently don't have any "wild" fennel growing in our
garden in Monte Rio - - is it something I might want?  If so, where
would I get the seeds, and what type of light does it require?

Thanks.

Your story of the caterpillar to butterfly is beautiful.  I want to
watch it first hand.  I, too, would be interested in finding out
about planting wild fennel in my yard.

Jenel
San Jose, CA  

If you want to have fennel in your garden, all you have to do is cut
a few ripe seed heads from fennel growing on the side of the road,
and shake them where you want fennel to grow.   A word of caution:
unless you have plenty of room, or a wild spot in your garden, don't
plant it.  Although it is the food source for the swallowtail
butterfly, it is on the list of invasive plants of California.  I
have more fennel than I want on my 1.5 arces, but allow it to have
it's own corner of the property.  It also pops up all along my path
leading to the compost pile!

Planting fennel is easy. All you have to do is grab a dry seed head
from an existing plant and shake it around a sunny area. It doesn't
require any care at all. Once the winter rains begin, the seeds will
germinate and you will be on your way to butterfly farming!

What if you don't have wild fennel anywhere, but would like some??
Is there another source of the seed?

Lyn, if you live on the Peninsula, there is plenty of fennel growing
in the Cal Train Parking lot in South San Francisco. I've seen it
all along the road ways all the way to Auburn. It's starting to die
back now, the seeds are ready to harvest. Just pluck a few flower
heads, I don't think anyone will notice. 

Thanks Kimmie, but I'm in the central valley!  Guess I need to take
a trip to the coast, huh?? I wish I had known, because my husband
and I were in Sausalito just a couple of weeks ago. Do you know how
long the seed heads will be around?  Thanks for your help.  Lynn

Lyn, there should be fennel growing along ditches and in pastures in
the central valley. The seed heads hang on until the rains begin and
even after you can easily shake the seeds free into the palm of your
hand. 
Look for tall, rangy looking plants with ferny grown near the
ground. They will have lost most of their color by now, but the
plants look like tall weeds with woody stems. The flower heads are
at the tippy top and will have turned brown.
You may be able to find seeds at your local nursery, and if you
like, I can shake some seed from plants at the train station and
mail them to you.
Kimmie

I live in CA, and dill will NOT grow in my clay soil garden... but
fennel LOVES it!  I planted two small plants from my local nursery
three years ago, and they've gotten simply huge!  I have a small
stand now, and it provides not only a place for many kinds of
butterflies and other insects, but the birds love the seeds, and it
provides almost the only shade in my garden.  The lizards love it
too!  

Thanks Kimmie, but I found some bronze fennel seeds and I am hoping
that they will do the trick.  Thanks for your kind offer, though!  

Lyn, I am going to grab some seeds from the train station when they
are ready, just to keep on hand. Let me know if your bronze fennel
thrives or dives.

So it sounds like this caterpillar pupates on the Fennel as well,
right?  I've searched fennel plant after plant, having seen the
caterpillars a month ago, but the pupas are eluding me. 
Suggestions?

It may be that the birds found the caterpillars before they set
their hard coverings. They should be fairly large, leaf colored and
stuck on tight. Look high on the plant near the flowers.

We have found a caterpillar on some wild fennel that someone dumped
in our garage bins behind our apartment building. My 2 little girls
were very excited about it. We took it in with a branch of the
fennel but the caterpillar ate it all in no time, I went driving
around to find more wild fennel and finally found some by the side
of the road near a swamp area but the caterpillar does not seem to
want to eat it??? any idea what the problem could be?