I was beginning to think that the red wasps were back eating the caterpillars like the last two years as we had no cats because of them and very few butterflies the last couple of years. But this year the wasps are nowhere to be seen so the butterflies are more abundant and then there are the Swallowtail caterpillars... These are just 4 of the 11 that have been eating away at the fennel this last week. And then I looked out yesterday morning to find a Monarch. We have had no other Monarchs this year. Get the reason for the name Monarch???? ....... it's yellow and black and made by Caterpillar. Technically it's called a multi-terrain loader but that isn't as much fun as Monarch. To explain, the city is replacing our street and others in the neighborhood. To cope with the noise and dust they are creating I have named all the large vehicles and pieces of equipment. I told the city engineer that one day when he stopped by to talk gardening and he had a good laugh. In fact, just one day last week he named one of the newer pieces of machinery 'Twitchy' in honor of the horrible twitching movements it made as it drove around the job site while we were again talking gardening.
Toni, you sure know how to make lemonade out of the lemons (or dust and noise) that is handed to you! Our Passionvine is pretty well eaten by the Gulf Frittilary caterpillars, and we have chrysalises hanging on the workshop window frames and on a chair on the workshop porch--no sitting for my husband until the butterflies break out and leave! The finished butterfly is a lot prettier than the youngsters!
Toni...it is always good to have fun, it makes things easier to deal with, like all the dust , etc. Beautiful cats you have... Marlingardener...are you sure that the end picture is a gulf Frittilary? I looked it up and to me it is like our Monarchs. The caterpillars are right for a Frittilary or am I not understanding what you are saying?
I agree with Sherry, Jane. That thing looks like a monarch to me. Those Gulfs, like many frits have silverish white spots on the wings don't they?
