Bren
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
3,820
Threads:
2
|
|
Odd how they've left the other Honesty plants alone, I've checked mine every day and no sign of caterpillars.
|
Mikey
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
634
Threads:
33
|
|
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.
|
Veggie
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
14,542
Threads:
605
|
|
The Moneyless Chicken says:-
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
|
Moth
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
475
Threads:
11
|
|
|
Moth
Chissit No-digger
|
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
|
Veggie
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
14,542
Threads:
605
|
|
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:-
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
|
Veggie
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
14,542
Threads:
605
|
|
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.
|
Small chilli
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
8,533
Threads:
290
|
|
(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.
|
Veggie
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
14,542
Threads:
605
|
|
17-04-2024, 03:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 17-04-2024, 03:26 PM by Veggie.)
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.
Moth photos https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.p...156&page=2
The Moneyless Chicken says:-
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
|
Veggie
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
14,542
Threads:
605
|
|
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.
|
Veggie
Joined:
May 2020
Posts:
14,542
Threads:
605
|
|
Just had a little stroll down to the "caterpillar" patch and there are still lots of them, annihilating the comfrey.
The Moneyless Chicken says:-
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
|