Beginner Gardening: Not a Cardoon... but, 0 by Acemoose

Acemoose wrote:
A very helpful person here suggested I had a Cardoon plant growing on my balcony -- and it sure looked like one!!!

Well.. it finally bloomed and it turned out to be a Milkweed -- a very BIIIG Milkweed.
And it had a resident:

Lookee here!!!

It is a Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Caterpillar)

It ate and ate and ate the milkweed. I waited for it to spin its coccooon and morph.

Sadly the caterpillar went missing. For a number of reasons, I know the balcony kitty did not do it. However, the balcony. altho fenced in, has a gap that a bird could come thru.

But i didn't think birds would eat this guiy -- these caterpillars secrete a stinky fluid that supposedly renders them inedible.

Agh

i searched high and low for it, but it is nowhere to be found.

Experientia docet .....

Perhaps there is another butterfly egg on this milkweed that will hatch? If so, I will then cover the milkweed with a cheesecloth "tent". I sure do have PLENTY of milkweed left for a caterpillar to munch upon!!!

This message was edited Jul 28, 2008 8:37 AM