Well our buddleia is in flower & not a butterfly to spot.

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But......lurking.... quietly underneath our Nasturtium leaves look what we found!!!!


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The cabbage white had sneaked in.................................Aughhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well at least one result then????????????????

This post was last modified: 05-08-2007 07:48 PM by tibbar.

I don't think that would be something I would like! Cabbage whites are something like the EGS in reverse--they were introduced to North America long ago, and are now found virtually everywhere (at least on the west coast).

Kingfisher

Funnily enough the nasturtiums are growing in my topiary pot along with my tree. They tend to pop up in different parts of the garden every year, so as they are not planned for I don't mind that they are being eaten . I do just let them grow as they are a giant variety & have fun seeing how big I can get them. At the moment they spread 8 feet both ways out the pot which is enough to let some cabbage white butterfiles eat them.
I think it takes me back to being a five year old when I used to collect them off some nasturiums out of a garden on the way to school.

This post was last modified: 06-08-2007 09:38 AM by tibbar.

8 feet is big, is that the buggest you've had? I wouldn't worry about the cabbage whites either when the plant is that size! I don't mind the cabbage whites that much actually.

I think that is about the average we have had considering that it is an annual. The runners have gone 8 foot both ways which if I measured it end to end adds upto 16 feet. We do feed it 'miracle gro' though. Next year we are going to try a hanging basket on the front wall of the house & see it we can get it like a waterfall effect.
I think that the caterpillars might be a small white though as I saw one on it yesterday but if not we will be having small whites also.

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This post was last modified: 07-08-2007 07:53 PM by tibbar.

Remember that catapillers are food for the birds - I leave them on the plants!

I don't think I want them eating my 'patterkillers'

I don't think I want them eating my 'patterkillers'

You would change your mind if your 'paterkillers' were this:

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/field/hornworm.htm

The drawing is LIFESIZE !

I've never seen one of these here in Washington state, but I have seen them on tomato plants in California. They are, um, repulsive. I don't like to say that, but they are.

Kingfisher

Ughhh!! that's brought all my childhood nightmares back. I remember seeing huge caterpillars like that when I was little , they were some kind of hawkmoth either elephant or poplar. It's the sheer size & false eyes that give me the creeps.
I checked yesterday & my little cutey patterkillers have gone . I presume that they are trotting up another stem in search of food unless rowena is right & they've made good food for birds.

Since encouraging the birds I have had no problems with catapillars on my brassicas. The broad beans and roses were covered in aphids until I spotted a great tit and blue tit plucking them off, presumably for their young. I saw a big furry one in my polytunnel but left it as it was so cute and intriging! I don't know what I would be like with giant catapillars though.

I don't mind the furry ones, but the hornworms are big and squishy and nasty. They have a sharp horn on the back end, and those little suction cups on the tips of the legs feel quite odd. [shudder] I used to have a pet rat who would eat mealworms and other insects, but he would refuse to eat the hornworms.

Kingfisher

I am not surprised as I would refuse them too!

This post was last modified: 11-08-2007 09:28 AM by tibbar.

Wow, those hornworms are horrible but also fascinating. The kind of thing you would hate to see but love to at the same timei f that makes sense! The y would have to be pretty disgusting for a rat to refuse them!