Don in SJ
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- May 20, 2005
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Earlier this year I made a post showing caterpillars on my Rue bushes that for many years in a row have had the same variety (Black Swallowtails) on it. The only reason I have kept the Rue plants in my flower bed is because the Black Swallowtails do exclusively like Rue and Parsley plants for laying their eggs on.
Well, I wanted to take photos of the caterpillars as they got bigger, but they kept on vanishing! But, new babies kept appearing to replace the ones that were being eaten by something. About a month ago I finally figured out what the something was eating the little cuties, Daddy Longlegged Spiders. I have since gone on a eradication program of them and I am seeing the results. Now they are growing to maturity without all being gobbled up by those spiders.
Now, in the past week or so, we have noticed a different type of Caterpillar on the plant, along with the usual Black Swallowtail ones.
I took some photos this morning of the new variety and it looks to be a caterpillar of a Giant Swallowtail, I am not 100% certain, but it appears so from the photos in the Golden Nature Guidebook I have. However, darn if I have ever seen a Giant swallowtail in this part of the world.....
Sure is an ugly caterpillar, early on it looks like a bird dropping, which is a protective defense mechanism so birds don't gobble them up.
Right now I have about 10 total Swallowtail caterpillars on my two Rue plants, about 6 of the Black Swallowtail variety and 4 of the Giant Swallowtail.
I do recommend if you want to try and attract them to your flower bed, then go buy some Rue next spring or maybe even now and they are a Perennial and even need trimming to keep from getting too big, but they also bloom in early summer with little yellow flowers. The Caterpillars are the bonus that comes with the plants, hopefully.
Don
Well, I wanted to take photos of the caterpillars as they got bigger, but they kept on vanishing! But, new babies kept appearing to replace the ones that were being eaten by something. About a month ago I finally figured out what the something was eating the little cuties, Daddy Longlegged Spiders. I have since gone on a eradication program of them and I am seeing the results. Now they are growing to maturity without all being gobbled up by those spiders.
Now, in the past week or so, we have noticed a different type of Caterpillar on the plant, along with the usual Black Swallowtail ones.
I took some photos this morning of the new variety and it looks to be a caterpillar of a Giant Swallowtail, I am not 100% certain, but it appears so from the photos in the Golden Nature Guidebook I have. However, darn if I have ever seen a Giant swallowtail in this part of the world.....
Sure is an ugly caterpillar, early on it looks like a bird dropping, which is a protective defense mechanism so birds don't gobble them up.
Right now I have about 10 total Swallowtail caterpillars on my two Rue plants, about 6 of the Black Swallowtail variety and 4 of the Giant Swallowtail.
I do recommend if you want to try and attract them to your flower bed, then go buy some Rue next spring or maybe even now and they are a Perennial and even need trimming to keep from getting too big, but they also bloom in early summer with little yellow flowers. The Caterpillars are the bonus that comes with the plants, hopefully.
Don
RR
Ivan
