Caterpillars
Bren Offline
Member
#11
Odd how they've left the other Honesty plants alone, I've checked mine every day and no sign of caterpillars.
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Mikey Offline
Member
#12
Was it too far to crawl, To the next plant or did the birds pick them off once they became more visible?
A pocket knife is not a weapon in the right hands it’s an essential garden tool.
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Veggie Offline
Super Pest Controller
#13
           

This year the pesky caterpillars are feasting on white comfrey although there are also some on the Wild arum which is not a brassica. 
I'm so soft that I can't bring myself to kill them. I did snip one in half and kept apologising to the remains.  Cry
The Moneyless Chicken says:- 
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
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Moth Offline
Chissit No-digger
#14
The only butterflies I've seen so far this year are 4 brimstones fighting each other for territory and a solitary holly blue.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished  – Lao Tzu
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Veggie Offline
Super Pest Controller
#15
I overcame my squeamishness today and chopped as many caterpillars as I could see. At the slightest touch of a leaf, they curl up and fall to the ground which didn't make my task easy. I've also dug up as many host plants as I could and binned them in case there are more lurking caterpillars.
The Moneyless Chicken says:- 
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Veggie Offline
Super Pest Controller
#16
Spotted an Orange Tip butterfly on some Honesty today - which is how this thread began !!
The Moneyless Chicken says:- 
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
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Small chilli Offline
Super Pest Controller
#17
(14-04-2024, 04:55 PM)Veggie Wrote: I overcame my squeamishness today and chopped as many caterpillars as I could see. At the slightest touch of a leaf, they curl up and fall to the ground which didn't make my task easy. I've also dug up as many host plants as I could and binned them in case there are more lurking caterpillars.
Don’t squash any more. They are your scarlet emperor moth offspring. Butterfly conservation just done a fb post on them
Builder that would like to go play in the garden.
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Veggie Offline
Super Pest Controller
#18
   

I've just caught 3 caterpillars for a closer look. They do look like the Scarlet Tiger Moth caterpillars https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/scarlet-tiger so I may have to apologise to those that have been squished. 
Large White butterfly caterpillar does look similar, your honour! https://butterfly-conservation.org/butte...arge-white
Thinking about it, all the host plants have been near the shed where I see the Moths every year.  I feel really bad now.  Cry

Moth photos https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.p...156&page=2
The Moneyless Chicken says:- 
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Veggie Offline
Super Pest Controller
#19
Good news! There are still plenty of caterpillars and I rescued 3 from the garden waste bin where they'd been dumped!
The Moneyless Chicken says:- 
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
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Veggie Offline
Super Pest Controller
#20
Just had a little stroll down to the "caterpillar" patch and there are still lots of them, annihilating the comfrey. Big Grin
The Moneyless Chicken says:- 
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