Caterpillar History

It is an interesting project for children to watch the changes that take place.The other caterpillars that I let live are the tomato hornworms. If you have a vegetable garden, the hornworms can strip tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes overnight,...

Needless to say I very, very carefully checked my plumeria patch for any sign of the herbivorous horde in the ensuing weeks, but I am happy to say so far none have shown up here, nor have any more been seen in my friends' tree.This event was my second...

So unintentionally, we are also helping the ecosystem by providing food for their predators.- Create butterfly art! There are unlimited butterfly art projects on the web. Milkweed, butterfly weed, dill and fennel are some of the host plants we are growing...

What a wonderful thing! Enjoy these butterfly activities or just learn more:(Note: The above links are to posts in a subscribers-only forum.)For those of you that love trivia, I found the following tidbits on Widipedia"Butterfly eggs are fixed to a leaf...

It is a sign of a healthy garden to have these good guys on the hunt, so leave them to go about their business. Their diet should make them a welcome resident in any vegetable garden or perennial bed.

For the sake of everyone you cook for, soak all cole crops in salt water for an hour before cooking; otherwise you might end up serving an unexpected side dish of worm.(Dave's Garden member DiOhio took some great photos of the imported cabbageworm - and...

I didn't try and photograph the butterfly, I simply let it free in the garden, but here is a picture of an Australian Admiral that I took recently.So next time you collect a few stings from the nettles, remember that there is a beautiful moth and a beautiful...

Unfortunately for the gardener, common milkweed leaves tend to yellow and drop though the summer, leaving unattractive bare stems topped by fat pods in the fall. It's also fairly easy to grow from seed, using the same method as you would for Scarlet milkweed...

It's not exactly the sea monster-meets-gorilla that I thought it would be, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't scare off birds. The horned creature, which Nature had designed so well to look fierce and merciless, has been subdued through an equally-matched...

Dispose of the infested plant matter carefully to prevent spread of the insects.If all else fails, spray the oleander bush with Bt spray (Chemicals should always be a last resort, as pesticides kill beneficial insects along with the oleander plant caterpillars,...

These guys chew off the new seedlings at the base.When you are planning on killing caterpillars and you want to keep your garden as organic as possible, you should find a way to stop caterpillars that stays within that realm.

The best sprays contain the active organic ingredient spinosad , which is sprayed directly onto the foliage of host plants. When their preferred food sources become depleted, the caterpillars will often shift their focus to other native hardwoods in their...

Tent worms are active in early spring while webworms become active near fall. ), or tent worms, are more of an eyesore or slight nuisance rather than an actual threat. Your trees will return to their former beauty in no time at all.

It also kills up to 90 other common plant pests.While releasing one or two of the commercially available soldier bug eggs once or twice a month controls the caterpillars on a single desert rose, they're expensive for that purpose.

This species is one of the few caterpillars that has adapted to be able to feed on the poisonous passionflower vegetation, giving it a unique environmental niche. The gulf fritillary has a wide territorial range and is found coast to coast in the southern...

In areas where armyworms are common, gardeners and farmers need to proactively treat armyworm infestations that occur. The larva form of this moth has a dark coloration, ranging from gray to black, and, as the name suggests, has a pair of longitudinal...

The eggs hatch very early, often before blossoms are open, and the bristly black caterpillars huddle together for warmth. You can poke holes in the tents with a stick or long-handled apple picker, and then twist to gather up caterpillars and webbing.

Hand picking and placing them in a bucket of water is an effective way for how to kill tomato hornworms.freestar.queue.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250-ATF-1"); });You can also use natural predators to control tomato hornworms.are...

In addition to deep cultural ties to the Dia de Muertos traditions in Mexico, the monarch has recently become a symbol of pollinator conservation and appreciation for migration. As they drink deeply of the flower's nectar, the moths spread pollen and...

Gardeners often encounter unique and colorful insects in their gardens. They are nocturnal moths, but often will be attracted to streetlights. The term 'paper dragon' comes to my mind when I think of them, as they resemble the cloth and paper costumes...

In extreme situations where important crops may be in danger of destruction, gardeners may consider using an organic spray containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that will be effective at controlling the caterpillars.

The adult moths are brownish in color and emerge from their rounded or cup-shaped cocoons in late winter or summer. The fleshy protuberances on both sides of the body look fearsome, but they are harmless.

You can keep the butterfly or moth for a few days to observe it in a mesh cage but make sure to release it so it can continue its reproductive cycle. The best time to go hunting caterpillars is spring and again in fall, but they are also abundant in summer.

However, the presence of white butterflies in the afternoon or moths in the evening can signal the beginning of an infestation, as they will lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves.

They are hairy and may grow to be three inches long. They have a slimy coating that helps them adhere to the oak leaves. Identifying the pest properly and meeting your tree's cultural needs helps minimize defoliation and long-lasting damage.Forest tent...

Avoid planting succession brassica crops when a diamondback moth infestation has occurred. Damage: The larvae rasp holes in plant leaves that gradually enlarge to give the leaves a windowpane appearance.

It's 4 inches long, green as grass, sporting eight V-shaped white marks down each side and a blue-black “horn” on one end: the tomato hornworm, the larval stage of the sphinx moth, also known as a hummingbird or hawk moth.