Okay, I crashed after gardening yesterday so we're going to play catch up. I posted on the bird thread and the bee thread yesterday, but I had way more pictures for y'all and I didn't want to rush through them. So sit back, and let's get started!
First thing to do was feed the caterpillars. I am a slave to the caterpillars. These are the Pipevine Swallowtails. You can see one of them has its molted skin underneath it.
Walking around, I was killing Tussock Moths but I've missed some because here are some cocoons. The first is on my house, the second pic is on one of the fence columns, third is on the patio door. They use the hairs from their body to make the cocoon so some people get dermatitis even from touching the cocoons. My dad and brother get the job of pressure washing the house and removing these things.
Okay, it's time for caterpillar hunting with Melanie! Now, you guys may remember that I pruned my Pentas back pretty hard a few weeks ago. I hate pruning because it feels mean, but I just kept singing, "You've got to be cruel to be kind, in the right measure".
And the Pentas have bounced back and put out a lot of new growth. And new growth attracts butterflies (and moths) wanting to lay eggs. So I look, and I see frass, and I see something has been chewing the leaves.
Most caterpillars are smart enough to drop their frass to the ground, and these Pentas are under an oak tree, so I start thinking the frass is coming from the Tussock Moths up above. But that doesn't explain the chewing. So, what was I looking for? The Tersa Sphinx Moth uses Pentas as a host, and I get them from time to time. I probably get them more than I think I do, but I don't always check the Pentas that closely. First, I found a poor, dead Tersa Sphinx Moth. Sphinx moths are commonly known as Hornworms because of the horn on the back. The most infamous are the Tobacco and Tomato Hornworms. This one looked like it might have been infected with the bacteria that paralyzes its gut. Notice the frass stuck to the end of it. I think the shriveling might be due to dehydration which would also have been caused by bacteria.
Undeterred, I kept looking. Seek, and ye shall find. I found a nice, healthy one. Now, Tersa come in green and brown forms and I've seen both in my yard. They have eyespots which remind me of the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar. The horn can't "sting" or hurt you by the way. But they do get really mad when I play with it. Tersa cats will whip their heads back and forth really fast in an effort to look scary. I find it adorable, but it's not me they need to scare.
Lots of Gulf Fritillary cats. The one in my hand was a member of the Melanie Relocation Service. (I put him on a larger vine.)
So my neighbor was out there mowing yesterday. And he mowed down by the road which annoyed me, but it's not up to me. He just had a lot of host plants over there, including Virginia Pepper Grass. Although, the butterfly that uses it, the Checkered White, had not been seen - until later that day! I saw one flying around and it had been so long I couldn't remember if the males or females had more checks. It's the females, which this one was. I saw her look like she laid an egg on several plants, but when I checked them, there was no egg. They're small, and look like Sulphur eggs, but I know them when I see them, and I didn't see them.
I got one of my bright ideas and wondered if I caught her, could I put her in a container with the host plant and get her to lay eggs. I caught her with my bare hands (don't try this at home) which was awkward because I had to ring the doorbell so the parents would let me in and then Mom had to help get the container. I kept her in there all afternoon and night and set her free this morning. I haven't checked the plant too close, but I don't think she laid any eggs. Probably not warm enough in my room.
Back to work I went, and that meant planting Spicebush. I ordered two from Mail Order Natives. I've ordered a lot of plants from them over the years. I have two Spicebush already so this makes four. Spicebush plants come in male and female, and since mine have never flowered or set fruit, I think mine are the same sex. So I hope adding the two new plants will change the mix. Anyway, I'm planting them, and I see a leaf folded over. Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars build leaf shelters by cutting the leaf with their jaws and then silking it over. I opened it up - and found a caterpillar! Free bonus caterpillar! And he made it through the mail!
I was chasing a Gulf Frit all over the Jatropha. I like the picture where it's in midair and you can see its legs.
Walking around the house I saw this moth on the patio screen. I think it's the same kind BAMONA identified for me last week, the Brown Shaded Gray.
