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Strange little caterpillars.....



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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


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zuzu's petals
Silly Old Bat

Joined: 19 Oct 2006
Location: Coastal N.Carolina ~zone 8~ (Map)
Posts: 2568
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


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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


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Chitweed
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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!


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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


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