You're not gonna beleive this!!

[gixrj18]

Yesterday evening, I was checking over my herb (container) garden and passion flower vine for caterpillars, because lately I've noticed monarch caterpillars feasting on the fluids secreted by the new growth of my passion vine. After several unsuccessful attempts of various insecticides, I have finally resorted to pulling them off by hand. Well, to my extreme surprise, I got to witness one of the most carnal examples of natural self-preservation that I've ever seen! Apparently, the vine got sick of being chewed on, and fought back. I touched him and he was still barely alive. Tonight, he's still there, but not alive. I would just chalk it up as a freak occurance, had it only been one whip wrapped around it. But there were four different whips constricting it and holding it out a few inches from the vine as if to post it as an example to the other caterpillars. I knew this was an aggressive vine, but I had no idea! Kinda makes you wonder, huh?

[DasEmpress]

WOW!
Now all it needs is a caterpillar sized-sign:

Ye Have Been Warned!

[Tindomul]

Maybe the plant is getting nutrients from the caterpillars.

[cupcake]

I would smile as I walked past, and not go to near! Judi

[Lorraine]

When I first moved to S. Fla I had catapillars eating up my passion vine too. Since then I planted a butterfly garden just for them. Monarchs love milk weed plants. they will eat them bare. I have a passion vine on the wall right behind the milkweed and no body has bothered it. Lots of passion flowers. Yippi.
Lorraine

[Dorothy]

gix - if you pass by it and you hear the words "Feed me Seymour" ....
RUN !

[Mahon]

Your captured critter is the Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar... the Monarch Caterpillar is the black, white, and yellow striped one that looks like a zebra... those tendrils must have grown overnight when it was asleep, very funny!

We've got the same problem here (also in FL). I notice that the Gulf Fritillary Caterpillars will eat EVERY leaf of the Purple Passion Flowers (Passiflora edulis and Passiflora incarnata), but the Red Passion Flower (Passiflora coccinea) remains untouched...

-Pat

[puddin]

How can you pick those off by hand? The spikes on that caterpiller don't look very friendly.

[Mahon]

Originally Posted by puddin

How can you pick those off by hand? The spikes on that caterpiller don't look very friendly.

They're just to fool you The spikes are soft, and will not sting... perhaps sevin dust will rid of these Fritillaries?

-Pat

[sparverius]

The caterpillar in the photo is a Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae. They feed on passion vines as larvae although most of them are not quite as slow-moving or -witted as this one. Here's a link to a picture of the adult:

http://www.keyshistory.org/butterfly...frit-adult.jpg

Dave C.