[Owen'nZoe]

Since you ladies were so helpful with my Parsley Worm question, I'm hoping someone will be able to answer a couple more that have popped up in my garden.

1) Our parsley worm disappeared a few days ago. I've checked all of the potential host plants in the garden, and she is nowhere to be found. Do you think she might have crawled off somewhere else to form her chrysalis, or is it more likely that *gulp* something got her? I'm a little worried that if she crawled off somewhere else, it might have been to an annual that I was planning to pull in the fall, and that I'll remove her happy new home.

2) When I went out today, I was surprised to see that the sad little butterfly bush that I planted this spring and which finally was just starting to take off was almost completely leaf free. There are two fat caterpillars on it, and they *look* like Monarch caterpillars. Everything I have read, though, says that Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. Do you think they'd eat my butterfly bush out of desperation since I have no milkweed? Or are they another type of caterpillar (I can't find any other types that look similar)?

Thanks for any information, and I am off to the garden center to try and find another butterfly bush and some milkweed just in case.

 

[greenegirl]

I'm pretty sure Monarchs only eat milkweed. Lots of different caterpillars eat butterfly bush. I currently have a book sitting on my coffee table called "Florida Butterfly Caterpillers and their Host Plants". Many of the caterpillars are not only native to Florida, but to other parts of the country as well. If you want to try describing the caterpillars or have a picture, I'll see if they are in the book.

The Parsley Worm you saw may very well have made its chrysalis. The bright green ones are one of the final stages before they build the chrysalis.

 

[Owen'nZoe]

Karen - If you wouldn't mind looking when you get a chance, I'd appreciate it! I've tried in the butterfly book I have here, but it is a pretty basic one, and the only one it looks like is a monarch. I did a search on butterfly bush pests on Google as well, but couldn't find it.

It is about 2 inches long, with thin, alternating stripes of black, white and yellow. It has little black antenae in the front. It really looks *just* like the Monarch caterpillars I see in my book.

 

[greenegirl]

The only caterpillar I can find that potentially looks like a Monarch Caterpillar is a Queen Caterpillar. The only easy difference between the two is that the Monarch has 2 sets of antennae and the Queen has 3 sets.

Here's a website with pictures of both: http://www.junglewalk.com/popup.asp?...WebsiteID=8857

The book I have says the Queen will sometimes eat butterfly weed, but rarely. It usually only eats Milkweed.

 

[Owen'nZoe]

Thank you for looking! You know, I have to say, the caterpillars I have look exactly like the Monarch caterpillar in the pics you attached, not like the Queen. Definitely 2 sets of antenae - I counted after I posted. Maybe they just don't know that they aren't supposed to want to eat anything but milkweed??? When I went back out for another look before it got dark, my poor little butterfly weed had about 5 leaves left on it - one of the caterpillars had moved on, and one was left. I'll try to get a pic if it is still there tomorrow.

I wonder where they were before today - the plant looked fine yesterday, so they must have devoured the whole thing today. It really is amazing how much they can eat!

 

[greenegirl]

Hungry critters will eat what they can find to eat! One of my favorite books when I was a kid was the Hungry Hungry Caterpillar. Your visitors are demonstrating that the title of the book is no joke!

 

[Katiemare]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe Thank you for looking! You know, I have to say, the caterpillars I have look exactly like the Monarch caterpillar in the pics you attached, not like the Queen. Definitely 2 sets of antenae - I counted after I posted. Maybe they just don't know that they aren't supposed to want to eat anything but milkweed??? When I went back out for another look before it got dark, my poor little butterfly weed had about 5 leaves left on it - one of the caterpillars had moved on, and one was left. I'll try to get a pic if it is still there tomorrow. I wonder where they were before today - the plant looked fine yesterday, so they must have devoured the whole thing today. It really is amazing how much they can eat!

It really is even more amazing how much they POOP! I am raising some in captivity & by the time I get the second tank cleaned out, the first one looks terrible again, already!
One thing about the milkweed is that it makes monarchs poisonous to insect eaters (hence the mimicry of the viceroy and others).

still searching for more recent threads, but feel free to get your butterfly geek on here!

:

 

[Girl In The Fire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe Maybe they just don't know that they aren't supposed to want to eat anything but milkweed??? When I went back out for another look before it got dark, my poor little butterfly weed had about 5 leaves left on it - one of the caterpillars had moved on, and one was left. I'll try to get a pic if it is still there tomorrow.

Do you have a butterfly weed or a butterfly bush? They are two totally different plants. A monarch would not eat butterfly bush (Buddleia http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/128/), caterpillars will starve before they eat something they are not intended to eat.

"Butterfly weed" IS milkweed, Usually "Butterfly weed" is A. tuberosa http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73/ although I have seen Swamp Milkweed A. incarnata http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/539/ as well as Mexican Milkweed A. curassavica called Butterfly Weed.

Monarchs lay small eggs on the milkweed and the hatchlings are quite small and inconspicuous unless you are looking for them and even then they are good at hiding. Once they reach the later instars they become noticeable and eat unbelievable amounts of food. Milkweed is hardy stuff and yours will more than likely come back.

 

[Girl In The Fire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe I'm a little worried that if she crawled off somewhere else, it might have been to an annual that I was planning to pull in the fall, and that I'll remove her happy new home.

I forgot to answer this earlier... If it did make a chrysalis it will eclose (come out) in about 10 days. Depending on where you live caterpillars later in the season will pupate and then overwinter but it is still early for that.