Who/what is leaving this design on my cannas? What to do about it?
Whose tracks are these?
It is the Brazillian Skipper catterpilar http://www.flickr.com/photos/rstickney/7601188948/
Thanks, Josephine. He must be like a thief in the night, because I've never seen this little feller. You realize you only answered the first part of my question, don't you?
Well I don't advise killing it it makes a lovely butterfly http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2007/11/24/debnes_dfw_tx/aae07c.jpg&imgrefurl=http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/343/&h=350&w=350&sz=26&tbnid=DCQ88m_hDDBSBM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=86&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dbrazilian%2Bskipper%2Bbutterfly%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=brazilian+skipper+butterfly&usg=__435EiZGhjgMD_41XogdknhNeIK8=&sa=X&ei=G0elUbiGNs2LrQHx24GABQ&ved=0CCQQ9QEwAw
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2007/11/24/debnes_dfw_tx/aae07c.jpg
Oh, Josephine.......what can I say?!!? So I should let these guys ugly up my canna leaves? Probably won't happen. I'm completely heartless, I know. I'm willing to share my gardens with all God's creatures, but I can't bring myself to roll over and play dead. lol I admire all you purists on DG, but I'm just not there, yet. Maybe someday.
I see these marks on my cannas all the time. Thanks Josephine, for letting me know what they are! I'm so glad it's just a caterpillar. The damage has never been too great, so I've been willing to live and let live. Sybil, the cannas you gave me at the roundup are so beautiful! Thank you so much for talking me into taking several - they make a lovely bed!ll
Carol
Most catapilliers don't do a ton of damage and they aren't around all the time. They aren't allowed in my veggie garden but I just take them someplace else.
They eat my passion vine but it comes right back.
I hope you all read Deb's article, it is really wonderful. She even plants extra cannas for the skippers to have food.
I'm so glad they did well for you, Carol. Did you take the regular Canna (don't know the real name) or the Tropicanna? I really enjoy them both.
Now that's a good idea, 1lisac. I guess I could just designate ONE Canna as the nursery. How would that work?
Chuckl. syb? Step back 25 feet and see how noticeable the damage is.. If you cant see it from there at first glance, let it be awhile. If it actuay gets REALLY bad, then consider slowimg em down...
Wow I am so happy to find out what does this also. I don't care if they do it. I love good insects as we wouldn't have flowers without them. Also I love the design they leave. I was wondering what made such a perfect design. Happy to see it's picture as I never found it either. Out of over 50+ cannas only 1 leaf had this weeks ago. :)
I don't think you could see the tracks from 5' away. But I agree with Sybil that it's a good idea to make sure the tracks aren't from something you really don't want around. I hate that feeling of thinking that if I'd taken care of this earlier none of this would have happened. The cats usually have a symbiotic relationship with the host plant. It doesn't make any sense for them to kill it, they just use it for a little while. Then one day you have jillions of flubberflies, that's what my oldest use to call them.
Now if they were leaf miners I wouldn't be so understanding. Lol but if one canna works for you, I would put them there. Is there any other host plant?
It only eats different varieties of Cannas.
Then a few leaves in the back shouldn't hurt. Lol
Sybram---These are called canna rollers. If you look at the leaves carefully, you will find that the skipper lays eggs and folds the edge of the leaves over. The caterpillar hatches out in this fold and destroys your canna leaves. I love butterflies and plant many bloomers to attract them, but butterfly or not, I cannot let my cannas be ravaged. They were destroyed last year before I knew what was doing it. I found the first signs of eggs today. Folded over leaf with white webs sticking the eggs to the leaves. Tomorrow I am spraying with a product called BT, also sold under the name Thuricide. If you prefer, you can pick the cats off and smash them. They will vary from small black to huge green cats. Sorry for the skippers, but they will have to pick on someone else's cannas.
P. S. You will have to repeat the spraying every week for a while until you get them under control. It will not kill the cat immediately. He has to eat the poison for it to work. I'm telling you, they will not stay on one canna. They ate mine so badly last year and they looked so bad I cut them down.
Yeah, Bezz. I feel your pain. It's hard to watch the plants you've spent so much time on go all ugly on you either from bugs or disease.
I got the Tropicanna ones. I love the colors!! Thanks again!
When my cannas get canna rollers I use OrthoŽ Rose & Flower Insect Control Plus Miracle-GroŽ Plant Food Granules. It is the only thing I will use besides a wasp and hornet spray. You sprinkle them around the base and in a short time they are all gone. It is systemic and lasts almost the whole season for me. Since I found the same holes on one I will keep a look out for them.
I didn't realize those tracks were only the beginning..
This is what you have to look forward to without treatment.
ilovejesus99---Thanks for that info. I will certainly get that because spraying every week is a job.
Sorry for the small pic. I posted from a post I had made getting an id. If you want to look back in Texas Gardening to 9-2-2012 you can see a full size picture. I don't know how to bring it forward to here.
I think my brain stayed in bed this morning. The picture is not in Texas Gardening, it is in Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening, Sept. 2, 2012.
bezziac? I cant keep where i put stuff in my head either. Sooner or later....
My brain stays in bed.