I found this on the windshield, while parked, So I took him home and fed him (or her) a Passion Flower leaf. Now what?
What am I going to be?
So, he didn't like the leaf, but tried to eat the plastic cap. Now what'll I do? And what's he going to be, and how soon?
Not every caterpillar wants your vine! lol This looks like some sort of moth cat. Tussock moth cats are furry like that... give me a minute to do a little searching.
See if this is it. It's an interesting caterpillar, but these pics are not exactly pretty. (blech) The moth isn't exceptional.
http://eny3541.ifas.ufl.edu/Tussock/Orgyia.htm
koncret~
You're absolutely right. It's the hairy one in the middle, withe the red head.
Sayonara -- Tussock moth caterpillar. And i thought I had a find. Hummers are more fun.
It really is a neat looking cat, but not worth the trouble to try and feed it. My parents have a million of these Tiger moth cats every year. They have a huge Sycamore tree that they eat and they are always on the driveway and my mom's car. She killed them for a long time thinking they were "asps", then I found out what they were. She felt bad. lol
koncrete~:
Thanks. Sorry to have troubled you
You're welcome. It was no trouble! I actually like trying to identify cats and butterflies. Sorry that it turned out to be an 'ole moth. You'll have enough excitement tho when the GF's find your vine! ;)
Through the screening????????
Screening? Did you put something around your vine?
Now, thats "troubling!"
Just kidding. The leaves and blossoms are just sitting on my fence, waiting with open arms for the first wandering butterfly that flies by.
Ok flyboy, April Fool's Day was on Friday so no jokes today. ;)
koncrete~:
But you have to understand. I am, by default, a male chauvinist, and protector of the female sex. And I get this sinking feeling that , unwittingly, installing the Passiflorae for the voracious GF's is like putting out the Vestal Virgins in the Coloseum, tied to stakes, as a gift offering to the hungry lions.
You have to be a cold, heartless, woman.
and imway~:
Aren't you on my side?
No. There is no logic to your "side!"
imway~
You're a hard man!
I do believe that flyboy is making this up as he goes along.
He seems to be stirring the pot. Or, maybe, trolling. I tend to avoid bright shiney objects as a result!
OK guys;
If you think that two against one is fair, keep it up!
Just to allay your fears, those vines are growing like crazy, and pushing out flowers. Not only is that area pristine, but I use no insectides or non-organic fertilizers, within 100 feet of the vines. Just so that they may be receiving proper irrigation, I give them only Poland Spring water (in the small bottles) and not the chlorine-treated water we have to drink. NO Perrier -- it's French, you know.
But I still love you guys!
You should see MY passionvine! ....LOL, that is a joke! I see TINY bits of green so it's still alive. If it doesn't speed it up this year and get bigger those crazy GF's will keep laying eggs all over the fence! FYI flyboy, they sometimes miss their "mark" and lay the eggs on anything close. (but the cats still find their way to the vine)
I think something of my passionvine might be coming back!
Koncrete~ and imway~: How cold does it get in your parts of Texas? I know Texas is pretty BIG! And exactly what do the GF cats look like? I want to be sure to be nice to them.
We get down to single digits at my house in 5 out of 10 years.
I've only been gardening for the last 4 years, and those are the only years I've paid much attention to the weather and waited for rain! It rarely gets in the teens here and we might get snow once a year. Last year we got snow on Valentine's Day and this year we had snow on Easter! Next year it might be July 4th! lol
The GF cats are orange with black spikes on them. They look like they'd be painful but the spikes are soft and bendable. I suppose that's to scare away predators. It worked the first time I saw them.
Hey guys;
So, does the passiflora freeze?
and Koncrete~:
Thanks for the photo. That cat sure looks fierce, but pretty. I promise, I'll never squish one of THEM. Viva la GF's!
And I certainly wouldn't classify you as a "Predator."
Mine does (P. incarnata, a Texas native).
I assume that mine will just keep growing -- and climbing -- and spreading.
Konkrete~:
I must confess. I chickened out on squishing this little moth cat, so I sent him to the sanitary land fill in his very own jar (with wet leaves inside).
So he won't die hungry? lol You have made great improvement in your "stewardship". ;)
Konkrete~:
Thanks for your kind words. You shouldn't have even dreamed that I would be another Michael Schiavo.