Bookmark us Subscribe Already a member? -> Sign in

Home | Register | Forums | Blogs             

A Little Colour For Our Northern Members
in Member's Gallery
last post: eileen

Hi from savannah ga
in Welcome to GardenStew
last post: toni

My Black Lab
in Member's Gallery
last post: gardeningguy

A day out in London
in Member's Gallery
last post: Sherry8

Sticky: Pic Of The Month - November 2008 DECIDER
in Member's Gallery
last post: Sherry8


Strange little caterpillars.....


unwelcome guest
greenfairy's blog
Thing of beauty
Allan Perry's blog
Out behind the fence...
tschnath's blog
My Have/ Want List
tburchell97's blog
Getting things done!
dooley's blog
Jose!
Clarissa's blog





hummingbird3172
Showing Great Promise
Showing Great Promise

Joined: 22 May 2007
Location: Zone 9b Saint Cloud, FL
Posts: 269
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 4:43 pm   Post subject: Strange little caterpillars.....


I found these :



On my milkweed plants...I was looking for monarch and queen caterpillars. I didn't handle them too much because I wasn't sure what they were. Then I saw this:



which is a pupa, but doesn't really look like a butterfly or moth pupa. It looked like a fly's to me so I did some reading and I might have figured it out. I didn't mention it before, but my milkweed plant had a bit of an aphid issue. Well, it DID, but now not so much. There is a type of fly and their larva that eats aphids called a syrphid fly. I brought the pupa in to try and see what emerged...but my monarch caterpillar ate it. Neutral


_________________
~Anna
Back to top
Profile | PM | Website | Blog | My Latest Blog Entry:Annuals to Grow Again
Question about Butterfly / Moth? Register for free to ask in our forums.

zuzu's petals
Silly Old Bat

Joined: 19 Oct 2006
Location: Coastal N.Carolina ~zone 8~ (Map)
Posts: 2569
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:16 pm   Post subject:


Oops. Shocked The circle of life can be tough. Laughing

On the up side, I'll bet if you listen really closely, you'll hear
your monarch caterpillar saying ". . . thank you very much . . . burp Mr. Green


_________________
~*~ zuzu ~*~
I put a lot of myself into my garden.
Back to top
Profile | PM | Blog | My Latest Blog Entry:Extended Season ~

hummingbird3172
Showing Great Promise
Showing Great Promise

Joined: 22 May 2007
Location: Zone 9b Saint Cloud, FL
Posts: 269
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:50 pm   Post subject:


Laughing

I think I DID hear him say that! Well, I should have known better, I just thought if I gave him enough leaves he'd leave the pupa alone. I had it up near the top of the cage, he had to really go out of his way to get it! Laughing


_________________
~Anna
Back to top
Profile | PM | Website | Blog | My Latest Blog Entry:Annuals to Grow Again

Chitweed
Showing Great Promise
Showing Great Promise

Joined: 21 May 2007
Location: Delaware, USA
Posts: 291
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:30 pm   Post subject:


You really have a kind heart, and inquisitive nature to bring in a fly to see it hatch!
Shocked

great pictures HB!


_________________
But make no mistake: the weeds will win; nature bats last.
- Robert M. Pyle
Back to top
Profile | PM | Website | Blog | My Latest Blog Entry:Everything is Blooming

hummingbird3172
Showing Great Promise
Showing Great Promise

Joined: 22 May 2007
Location: Zone 9b Saint Cloud, FL
Posts: 269
Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:34 pm   Post subject:


Laughing Welllll, maybe an inquistive nature, but I don't know about a kind heart since I basically got him eaten. Very Happy

I guess I was really hoping for some kind of small butterfly......

This pupa looks like the one I have....had...

http://mint.ippc.orst.edu/syrphid.htm

They sound like they might be even more effective than ladybugs!
http://woodypest.ifas.ufl.edu/244.htm

http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/hort/homehort/bisyrlrv.php


_________________
~Anna
Back to top
Profile | PM | Website | Blog | My Latest Blog Entry:Annuals to Grow Again



You're looking at one of the many forums on GardenStew.com.
Register for free to join in the discussion.





back to top of page




Forum powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


     Sponsored Links