I don't mind if they eat some, but they are eating the whole plant. How long is the season for the cats? I have big cats and a new crop that just hatched. They aren't picky eaters either, but seem to prefer Incense, foetida, morifolia and rubra. I know my plants will recover, they just look so funny with no leaves!
Gulf frits eating passifloras
Hi Cal,are these orange butterflies with a white underside?
I noticed one for the first time today checking out the leaves of my passies to.
The cats eat my Incense any time it has leaves, most of the year here in Phoenix.
Tropicman, yes that's them!
Judy, my Incense was(note past tense) huge. Now it is vines with flowers, leaves are little nubs, lol. It doesn't help that there are two butterfly farms not far from here!
They don't seem to bother Edulus, do they not like it or have they just not found it? There is an exotic fruit orchard(vineyard?) about half a mile as the crow flies, wonder if the cats eat her vines? They are 100% organic farm, but she does use Bt. I just hate to kill them because the butterflies are so pretty.
I have many different varieties of passifloras. I have found that gulf frits do not like edulis, quadrangularis, ruby glow, vitafolia, or coccinea. The rest they will eat to nubs.
I was out there a while ago and the butterflies were cruising the area looking for a place to lay more eggs! Glad to know there are a few varieties they won't eat to nubs!
Thanks Guys
I don;t think they eat belotti either,mines in bloom and not a cat one!
This year I will not be eaten out of all possibibity of passionflowers. I've gotten some Thuricide (BT). It kills only bugs that eat leaves but won't kill the good guys. I will leave 2 huge Incense vines for them to devour--but that's it. Everything else gets sprayed.
I've had cats on edulis, vitifolia, belottii. They adore Incense.
Judy to they eat all the leaves off or just munch on them?
I have the same problem with the orange butterfly with white underside last year. They ate almost all of the leaves on passifora. I went and picked all the cat and killed it. They almost kill the plant!
Well I don't I';ll have that problem too much here,I think it might just be a deep south thingy,I hope I have so many passiflorias this year.
Tropicman,
If the plants are small they will chomp them down to nothing. On the bigger ones, they leave stems, on the really big ones they eat all they want and there's still plenty left. They eat flowers too. But then, so do my dogs. They love Passion flowers.
I removed the cats from my tiny edulis, what was left of it, and it seems to be coming back stronger.
So far Racemosa, edulus, vitifolia and Belotii are cat free. Also a vitifolia X incarnata seedling has no cats. Incense is pretty big, and keeps putting out new leaves, but don't know if it's going to be able to keep ahead of the cats. Rubra and Morifolia are losing the battle, lol, but foetida is holding it's own. I think I need to go pick cats this morning.
If they eat everything where to they lay the eggs?
So I'll know what to look for.
I have watched gulf frits lay their eggs on other plants nearby.
I saw one laying eggs today, they lay them on the leaves one at a time, or like rylaff said, on nearby plants. The eggs look like a little yellow/orage dot.
Thanks I'll wear my bi-focals out in the garden,and take a peek!
From what I have read BT is harmful to the butterflies. It was an article about farmers using it on their corn and harming the butterflies.
Bt kills all caterpillars, it's not selective.
Is this one of those passy eatin cats?
Well something like eating my Edulis.
Tropicman, that is indeed a gulf frit.
Well it seems to love Incense,the best!
No they don't. I have tons of huge incense vines which they always eat to the ground. Last year I grew Lavender Lady, Dakota, mucuja, condolles, violacea, indigo dream, caerulea, etc. THESE vines were definitely preferred over incense. They have very soft tender leaves. I don't care if they eat incense--that's why I grow it. But not everything else. It BT for me this year!!
I must not have the numbers you all have down south,so far they are only consuming the Edulis and incense,they haven't
touched morifola,lavender lady,constance elliott,incarnata,blue crown.blue boutique,belotti,cocciena.vitifolia,or caerulea.