CLOSED: Mass of cats on coneflower. ID help please

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cedar18 Lula, GA(Zone 7b) Jun 12, 2009

Could these be babies of the army worms I asked for help on yesterday? These are on purple coneflowers next to the Scabiosa with the big army worm guy.

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Post #6679825
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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Jun 13, 2009

These are no relation to armyworms, but could be early instar larvae of a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. One suspect is Chlosyne nycteis, the silvery checkerspot, which has a taste for purple coneflowers - see http://tinyurl.com/kompsr for images of larvae and adults.

Post #6680172
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cedar18 Lula, GA(Zone 7b) Jun 13, 2009

Well, then, I will keep an eye on them as they get larger to be sure. In the meantime, I will sacrifice the coneflower leaves to their voracious appetites (and copious teeny black-dot droppings).

Thanks again.

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