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06-16-2010, 06:31 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Lakewood, CO
Age: 35
Posts: 2,289
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Who am I? (caterpillar)
I'm eating Izzie's pansies. They're delicious!
She picked off all my siblings back when they were teeny, but missed me until I got big like this. I'm super stealthy.
I'm almost an inch long now!
Izzie's wondering what I am though, and I can't seem to remember- can anyone help this poor hominid out?
PS. she thinks I might be a Fritillary Butterfly caterpillar. |
06-16-2010, 06:36 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Lakewood, CO
Age: 35
Posts: 2,289
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Actually, she thinks I might be a Diana Fritillary, since I'm chowing down on a member of the violet family.
Diana Fritillary - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
06-16-2010, 06:43 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Lakewood, CO
Age: 35
Posts: 2,289
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06-16-2010, 06:48 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Zone: 10a
Location: Melbourne, Florida
Age: 67
Posts: 2,183
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I think you might be right, Izzie. I have Fritillary butterfly's because they're attracted to my Passiflora. Their caterpillars look similar to your photos.
Here's an eco-friendly solution: Place a bird bath and bird feeder near the infested plants and this will encourage birds to feed on the caterpillars.  |
06-16-2010, 06:51 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Lakewood, CO
Age: 35
Posts: 2,289
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 sweet!
We do have lots of birdfeeders and a bath- but at the opposite end of the house!
I don't mind this one, and the pansies are on their way out.
They pupate in the leaf litter around their host plants, which might be a problem, since there's nothing but dirt in that pot. I'm thinking of hunting down some leaves to see if I can help the poor guy- apparently the use of BT insecticides for gypsy moths has hurt the population some. |
06-16-2010, 06:53 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Lakewood, CO
Age: 35
Posts: 2,289
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If you're in florida, I wonder if you have the Gulf Fritillary, since it's attracted to your passiflora?
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06-16-2010, 07:05 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 2008
Zone: 9a
Location: Nor Cal
Posts: 26,634
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haha - you're like me Izzie - I don't want the caterpillars chowing on my orchids, so I toss them into other plants lol. I like having butterflies and moths, so as long as there isn't an infestation I really don't want to kill the caterpillars. Not to mention there are frogs and lizards around, so I don't like using pesticides.
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06-16-2010, 07:14 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Lakewood, CO
Age: 35
Posts: 2,289
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I suppose I'm lucky in that I don't have to worry about lizards and frogs- only birds! and most of them don't wander into our little patio, but we have busy feeders on the trees just outside.
I can't wait to have an actual house someday!
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06-16-2010, 07:39 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Zone: 10a
Location: Melbourne, Florida
Age: 67
Posts: 2,183
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Izzie
If you're in florida, I wonder if you have the Gulf Fritillary, since it's attracted to your passiflora?
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Mine are Gulf Fritillaries and their host plant is the Passiflora. They visit and sometimes roost in the shade house but they've never harmed the chids. |
06-16-2010, 07:42 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Zone: 5b
Location: Lakewood, CO
Age: 35
Posts: 2,289
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So where do they pupate for you? Do you know?
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