Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: Gobs of Pipevine Swallowtail cats now, 1 by TexasPuddyPrint

TexasPuddyPrint wrote:
Was out at the ranch today...saw gobs of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars...mostly last instars. Found several in the middle of forming a chrysalis and saw others marching along branches looking for the right spot. I rounded up about a dozen and brought them back with me. Was able to find some of their larval host aristolochia erecta - swanflower - so brought along about three tiny plants. Slim pickings!!! Everything is so dry out there...the leaves look quite dried out too. The cats are last instars so I figure they'll all pupate this weekend.

When I got home I moved the cats into the 22 gallon reptarium and put in several branches for them to climb on. Also put in those three sorry looking aristolochia erecta. On a whim I put in a pot of aristolochia fimbriata...it's got such nice big juicy leaves compared to the thin lanky native aristolochia erecta.

Those caterpillars went for it quickly!!! My word...those big buggers forgot about looking for a branch to pupate and turned back into eating machines! I am tickled pink!!!

Am on a quest to appropriate more aristolochia fimbriata - I want to plant that at the ranch as the native aristolochia erecta there is really small and pathetic and soooooooooo hard to find. I lost count of the number of female PVS looking for it too.

Sooooo...anyone who has some rooted vines of a. fimbriata to trade please let me know.

~ Cat