That is an excellent example of what leps call a 'gregarious caterpillar' they go through the first few instars in a cluster, just like their mommy oviposited them. They stay all together just like a little flock of sheep being wached by a shepherd..
Four O'Clocks a Host plant?
They'll probably eat for closer to 2 weeks. I hope you have a lot of that plant for all those mouths! Those BP's I had went thru leaves like nothing about the 3rd instar.
Funny, but they look just like some of the GF cats I had too. I thought maybe I had lucked out and got ZL's but ended up being GF's tho. I also had those Variegated Frits about the same time too that were pale.
Deb - I have never heard the label, "'gregarious caterpillar"! That certainly describes this species of cat! They are definitely close siblings! :-) :-)
Paige - YOU are RIGHT! Those baby cats are gonna eat me out of house and home when they hit their "teenage" instar stage! LOL
They are getting big quick! And boy what appetites they have! They still look the same today. Will post new photos if they change in appearance.
Oh yeah, gregarious cats devour a plant faster than a few singles. The BP's I had were the first butterfly cat that I have had that was gregarious. I've had some Ricini moths, and some other moth (can't remember which) that were. That one unnamed batch of moths all died except this one and I felt so sad for it because it was all alone!
Here's the newest photos of these mystery cats. They definitely stay together or in groups at all times. They are actually kinda cute, don't ya think? lol
Here's a close-up of one.
Cat - They sure look like your Moth cat! If I was a bettin' woman, I'd put my money on them to be the same! ;-)
This message was edited Jan 10, 2007 8:56 PM
I found this interesting "What's this North American caterpillar?" website:
http://www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk/america/index.htm
Here's another really good weblink for photos of North American caterpillars by their adult Butterfly name:
http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?act=x_checklist&guide=Caterpillars
This message was edited Jan 10, 2007 9:59 PM
Here's a site that's specific to FL. If you click on a name, it tells you what counties they are found in and information about the butterfly's identification and life history.
http://www.thebutterflysite.com/florida-butterflies.shtml
Becky,
I never could find my photos of the cocoon...but it was a little brown thing...maybe the the size of a long grain of rice.
Time will tell if you're going to be Moth Mommy :o)
~ Cat
Becky after looking at these pics I am pretty sure they are a Checkered White or a Great Southern White
Becky,
I looked at photos of the Checkered White and Great Southern White in both Brock's book and Wagner's book.
My moth cats had long black hairs which I don't see on your cats. My moth cats also had a funny looking back end...like a forked butt. The moth cats were maybe 3/4 inch in length...yours look longer.
As soon as they go into the pupa stage you will know....brown cocoon = moth...green chrysalis =butterfly!!!
You may be a butterfly mommy instead of a moth mommy...time will tell!!! :o)
~ Cat
Donna and Cat - I, too, was thinking that they might be the Great Southern Whites. We get them all over the roads here at different times of the year. These little ones are already definitely bigger than what yours were, Cat. Wouldn't that be cool if the Nasturtium is a butterfly host plant of one of the species of the Whites?! I wonder if it is the same cat that is also eating my Four O'Clock plants which are grouped in with the Nasturtiums? Cats are definitely eating BOTH of those plants! I wonder if the cat changes colors and patterns, too, depending on what their host plant is? Because I am not able to find a cat that looks exactly like these do. Or maybe I just have to wait until they get bigger? The one thing that I am wondering though ..... I do not see white butterflies in my yard at all. For one to lay this many eggs on the plants right next to my screened in porch back door, I would have thought I'd have seen it.
Nasturtium is a larval host for the Cabbage White and Great Southern White according to Brock's caterpillar book. Hope you keep taking photos of their progress.
...can't remember where I read that butterflies tend to lay eggs around 1pm to 3pm???? Somewhere in the back of my mind that thought tickles my brain. I've never been able to see/photograph a black swallowtail laying eggs in my yard...although I do get eggs on my rue plants during they year. I guess that's because they are not as abundant as the Giant Swallowtails or Gulf Fritillaries...which I've seen laying eggs many times. Maybe butterflies don't have a particular time to lay eggs as I've seen Gulf Frits laying eggs at 7:00 in the morning and even 8:30 at night!!!
Ended up with rare Marius Hairstreak caterpillars on my duranta bush back in Sept 2005. The butterfly was exremely rare and duranta hadn't been documented as a larval host. I'd never seen a Marius Hairstreak or even heard of them before - so figure that one out :o) Sneaky butterflies!!!
~ Cat
This is from a website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_White
Large White or Cabbage White Butterfly - "The female lays batches of 20 to 100 yellow eggs on plants in the cabbage family and can be a pest on food crops. They seem to have a preference for cultivated varieties of Brassica oleracea such as cabbage and brussel sprouts. The caterpillars are yellowish green with yellow lines and black spots and feed in groups in plain view on the leaf surface."
This accurately describes the cats! We may have a winner .....
This message was edited Jan 11, 2007 12:36 PM
Check out this website with photos! What do you think?
http://www.leps.it/indexjs.htm?SpeciesPages/PierisBrass.htm
Checkered White
Caterpillar hosts: Plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) including cabbage (Brassica oleraceae); and caper family (Capparidaceae) including Rocky Mountain bee-plant (Cleome serrulata).
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterflies/LARVA/protodicelarva.htm
I think it is >>
Great Southern White
Caterpillar hosts: Mustard family (Brassicaceae) plants including beach cabbage (Cakile maritima), cultivated cabbage and radish, peppergrass (Lepidium species); and plants in the caper family (Capparidaceae) including nasturtium.
http://www.dallasbutterflies.com/Butterflies/LARVA/monustelarva.html
I see it!
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1401 Here is the page on them in the Butterflies of North America Reference site..
Whohoo what a bute this one is..
Well, well .....
I caught this beauty laying eggs on my Nasturtium. Yellow eggs. Hmmmm .... looks very similiar to the cat eggs that I have been raising.
This is a photo of a Great Southern White female. (It has no spots on it's wings, so it's a female.)
Another photo of her drinking nectar from one of my Lantana!
One more shot of this butterfly. You can see part of the dark border around the upper wing.
It was rather odd today, because this Great Southern White and 2 Gulf Fritillaries kept bumping into me. They were chasing each other around my giant purple porterweed. I was wearing green clothing, so I guess they thought I was a plant or something. Very unusual for any butterflies to actually bump me (usually it's the bees that do that)!
Here's a photo of one of the cats. As you can see, it is quite a bit larger now. :-)
Great pictures, she has the coolest antennae! Love that one where she's sipping the Lantana.
Thanks, fly_girl. I wish my camera was a little better. I have to get very close to them and then crop the photos down to get such close-ups. I don't have a macro lense on my camera so everything is shot from a distance. Luckily, the butterflies hold still for me! LOL!
Well there ya go!! WOW Becky, you are so 'lucky' haha. It is a GSWhite!!! Whoo hoo! So the Nasturtium is a proven host for the Great Southern White, we have seen it with our own eyes.. What a wonderful discovery sis!
Now Becky, (rubbing my chin).. how do the seed pods look on that puppy??? :-D
LOL! Those Nasturtiums came from a HD seed packet on clearance called "Jeweled Mix". They hadn't sold them out and had them marked down because they were getting their new stock of seed packets in. I think I paid $.75 for 15 of them. They all sprouted in my two large containers. I'm trying new Nasturtiums this year .... they are called "Dwarf Cherry Rose". And they form mounds instead of vine form. They are a cherry red color. Nasturtiums are perennials here. I haven't seen any seeds on the vine ones I am growing. But I certainly don't mind sharing if some form. I heard they may not produce seeds until Fall or second year. You are number one on the list if they do, Deb! Personally, if it was me, I'd check the seeds for sale at your local stores. I bet you'll find them. :-)
School starte d back up so I don't have as much time to gab as I want. Thought I would see if we're a Mommy yet. Gues s not, but so glad ya foudn out what layign the eggs.
Deb.. will look around and see if I have any more Nasturium seed s hanging around. If I do will send them on to ya.
Thanks star!! Meanwhile I will pop in to Lowe's.. They just got their first shipment of seeds last week. I didn't think to look for Nasturtium, but I am sure it is there. I will get some in a couple days. Thank you for offering, I will let y'all know when I get them.
Deb
I had loaned my Florida Butterfly Gardening book to a friend and she just returned it ..... after I reminded her. I just can't loan that book out anymore. I use it too much to be without it for 2 months! :-(
Well, I looked in the book to see what the Great Southern White cats look like ...... guess what?? We have a winner!!!!! The mystery cats that I am raising are definitely GSW cats! YAY!!!!
Again .... it looks like I may have the same problem with the Nasturtium as I did with the Milkweed. Not enough plants for the cats to eat! LOL I haven't run out yet .... far from it .... but I could see many more cats on the plants outside. So now it's a race to see if these babies will make it to a chrysalis before their host plant is chewed down to nothing! I think these same cats may be eating my 4 O'Clocks as well. They are looking very chewed up! I'm going to have to take a closer look at those plants to try to find out.
I am just so excited to have this many varieties of butterflies in my yard! There are butterflies in my yard constantly. Usually at least 3 different kinds at any given moment. It's weird too, because sometimes there are no Monarchs as I am looking out into the yard from my screened porch. I'm thinking they are all gone. Then I go out into the yard to check things out and suddenly several Monarchs appear out of the blue. This happens all the time. I really think that they might somehow either recognize me or are curious as to what kind of creature I am and come out from their hiding places to get a closer look. They literally follow me around the yard. LOL! My dh notices this, too! It is really bizarre. Has anyone else ever experienced this? I'm telling ya ..... they are just really friendly and tame butterflies if raised and released. I wish some university would do a study on hand-raised Monarch butterfly behavior. I think the results would be surprising!
Yes I haave noticed the little 'wise guys' Becky.. When in season, and I am running around taking pictures they run away, and then when I am watering, mowing, or otherwise have my hands full in any way, (and no camera in my hands), they follow me and are all over me and what I am doing...LOL!
The little rascals!!
;-S
Those Whites are so beautiful Becky, I am so so happy for you!
Wonderful thread Becky!! Just got some four-o-clock seedlings from a friend and will hope to get some visitors on it. Karen
Karen - Be sure to get some Nasturtiums too! I grow them in big (cheap) pots from Walmart. The larger vining kind really looks pretty with the leaves and blooms draping down from the pot! That is a plant I just love along with my 4 O'Clocks! I love the 4 O'Clocks for the fragrance. They are such cheerful plants. Mine have yellow blooms. If you'd like some Yellow 4 O'Clock seeds, I've got plenty to share. LMK. Anyone else, too?
Deb - Are the White species of butterflies naturalized in Texas, too?
Congrats Becky! Beautiful pics! I have seen one or two in my yard but they aren't common. (I'll try and search thru my millions of unsorted pics) Wal-Mart has seeds for $1.07 a package. I got more Tithonias but think I'll grab some of these on my next trip.
You won't regret it, Paige. And if it brings the Whites into your yard .... then all the better!!! :-)
I wanted to post some close up photos of the Nasturtium flowers and leaves. The flowers of the "Jeweled Mix" are about 2-3". I think they are really lovely against the leaves. The jeweled mix that I bought had all kinds of varieties and flowers. Very nice assortment for $.75! LOL
Here's one of the blooms.
Here's another color of the flowers.
And one more - bright orange color!
And here's a photo of some of the GSW cats on the Nasturtiums. I'm not saving all of them. These fellas can make it on their own. I have about 35 in cages. LOL!
One reason that I've never grown these is because every time I've ever seen them at the nursery they were longggg and stringy and I just didn't know where to put them. Are yours like that? Do you grow them in the ground or in a pot?