Gobs of Pipevine Swallowtail cats now

Was out at the ranch today...saw gobs of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars...mostly last instars. Found several in the middle of forming a chrysalis and saw others marching along branches looking for the right spot. I rounded up about a dozen and brought them back with me. Was able to find some of their larval host aristolochia erecta - swanflower - so brought along about three tiny plants. Slim pickings!!! Everything is so dry out there...the leaves look quite dried out too. The cats are last instars so I figure they'll all pupate this weekend.

When I got home I moved the cats into the 22 gallon reptarium and put in several branches for them to climb on. Also put in those three sorry looking aristolochia erecta. On a whim I put in a pot of aristolochia fimbriata...it's got such nice big juicy leaves compared to the thin lanky native aristolochia erecta.

Those caterpillars went for it quickly!!! My word...those big buggers forgot about looking for a branch to pupate and turned back into eating machines! I am tickled pink!!!

Am on a quest to appropriate more aristolochia fimbriata - I want to plant that at the ranch as the native aristolochia erecta there is really small and pathetic and soooooooooo hard to find. I lost count of the number of female PVS looking for it too.

Sooooo...anyone who has some rooted vines of a. fimbriata to trade please let me know.

~ Cat

Here's a photo of the little bitty aristolochia erecta - swanflower.

Thin grass like leaves...slim pickings as caterpillar food.

~ Cat

Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar...already starting to form a chrysalis.

~ Cat

( this photo reminds me of a gummy worm!!! UGH!!! )

This message was edited Mar 16, 2007 9:53 AM

...and another...Cat

...and another...woohoo!!! but still have about eight last instar cats still chowing down.

~ Cat

You are awesome, TexasPuddyPrint....as you are soooooooooo devoted to this very worthwhile cause!!!!

Cat - Those cats are so colorful! Great photos! Congrats on find some host plants for them and now on a mission to get more aristolochia fimbriata! I wish I had some for ya. Those are some I may try to grow along my back fence this year. I hope you are able to find more. I wonder how fast they grow from seed?

Sorry, no pipevine here. My son would really love those freaky cats so I'm going to attempt my seeds again. Guess I better get them in the refrig and see if they need that cold to germinate.

I have seeds if anyone wants some, but my 2 plants haven't really got growing much this year, so no cuttings yet. I was surprised they even survived that 20° freeze last month. But I do know about a place that I hear has lots of little A. fimbriata plants this year...Schumacher's, up near New Braunfels. They had some last fall when I came there also. And you should have SEEN some of those plants then! Since the PVS were around then and had access to some of the plants, there were some plants that didn't have a single leaf on them...cats were crawling from plant to plant looking for foliage. They don't kill cats there, BTW. But the butterflies probably haven't migrated up there yet.

This message was edited Mar 11, 2007 6:28 PM

Cat~
Do you happen to know which PVs are not a host for PVST? I have read here in DG where people had certain PVs and the cats would eat them but they would die after getting big enough to pupate.. Have you also read this?

Deb

Deb...

The pipevines out here use the native aristolochia erecta.

Last year I put in aristolochia elegans when the a. erecta was eaten to the ground...but only the larger/last instar cats ate it and eclosed with no problems. I had a single 3rd instar that ate it and died :o( I don't use it anymore. Yet, I've read elsewhere that Pipevines use aristolochia elegans with no problems...go figure!

I just found out they love aristolochia fimbriata...so will do my best to obtain seeds and plants for them from now on.

Have also read they will use aristolochia tomentosa but I don't have any of that.

~ Cat

I just planted a bunch of seeds for the aristolochia tomentosa. If I get too many seedlings sprout up, Cat, I'd be more than glad to send you some. I may look to see if I have any seeds left. (I can't remember if I used them all or not.) If I do, I can send you some instead of trying to ship live plants to you ...... if you are interested. :-)

The metamorphosis :o)

~ Cat

all done...

~ Cat

...what's left...looks like an alien creature itself :o)

~ Cat

...branch buddies
(I found the darker one last weekend - we'd had some cold nights so not sure if it's viable or not - still brought it with me to babysit)

...another buddy...still had a bit of red coloring :o)

Becky, if you haven't done anything with those seeds yet, I found some info on the A. tomentosa. It's better to cold stratify them, 4 to 12 weeks. If there's any way to do it, preferably cold stratify with some light..but I can't see how you'd do that with light. I just put some seeds of other species in baggies with some kind of moist peat or something, then put it in the fridge. It says to soak 48 hours in hand hot water before planting it in peaty potting soil. Surface sow, 75-85° preferably, germinates in 30 to 90 days. Wish I'd looked this up before planting my A. tomentosa seeds...didn't stratify them. They haven't germinated, needless to say, after a month and a half. I just hate picky seeds!

Linda - Now that you mention that information about A. tomentosa, I do remember reading that they need cold stratification. I didn't do it either. I planted them a week ago. If they germinate, fine. If not, they might shoot up next year. Being on DG, I am sure I can get more when seed harvesting comes around this year. So, I'm not stressing over it. I have peat pots with other types of seeds that seemed like they were NOT going to germinate. Well, 2 months later I now have seedlings growing. So ..... I wouldn't give up on them yet if I were you. They might just pop up when you least expect it! lol

Thanks for the information about that plant. It might be helpful to others here as well! :-) :-) :-)

Yeah Linda that's correct, A tomentosa must be cold stratified. I bought about an ounce of seeds, still waiting on them to germinate.... I also bought an A. macrophylla last fall, and heeled it into place so I would have something while I wait on the tomentosa. Once it gets growing, tomentosa is a really fast grower of all the Aristolochias. My 2 elegans looks like ----, I might need to take her out of the pot and wash the roots good with H2O2 and replant. Even the DGer I got it from had trouble with this particular plant. I think it might be sick.
Cat I still have loads of the tomentosa seeds left.. Send me a SASBE I will send you some. Same for anyone else reading this. I am in the address echange, under 'Extras'.

Deb

Okie doke Deb...now that I'm learning about how to get them started I'll send an SASBE. Glad ya'll put that information on here :o)

Well folks, am heading out to the ranch. Usually leave around 7am but had hired a guy to come dig out the banana plants....they were way overgrown and encroaching onto the sidewalk. Had sprouts coming up under the bricks. Must've been 50 he dug out. UGH!!! Will say there were gobs of roaches around the debris at the base of the grove. DOUBLE UGH!!! Glad I finally got them all dug out!!! There is so much more sunlight coming into the back yard now. The area was about 10ftx10ft and packed with dead root systems from the ones that died and all those new ones coming through. At least 20 tall ones over 12 feet high. He had to use the machete to cut them down into reasonable size to haul them out to the curb. I put numerous pups into tubs and am taking them to the ranch. Dad wants to plant some around a couple of ponds that stay filled from the windmill runoff. They will have all the room in the world to grow there and not be in the way.

Also taking three bunches of bananas from those trees and am going to dump those out into the back field for the butterflies and feral hogs.

Later ya'll.........~ Cat

Know how ya feel Cat, There was a tree in my back yard that took up a third of the yard. Finally hired someone to cut that puppy down and do I ever have space now!! Slowly but surely the host garden is coming together. I will show you guys as soon as I stop fussing over it.
Bottom line, Yay!! you have more space!!


Deb :-)

Okay...just got back from the ranch. They made me plant the banana pups around one side of the pond at the other ranch. Guess that's what happens when all your relatives are in their 70's and 80's :o) Have to drive back tomorrow to plant the rest at the pond behind the ranch house. Oh what fun!!!

I was out driving around the back forty for about 2 hours today. Saw lots of PVS cats and gobs of PVS butterflies as well as about 30 Giant Swallowtails. Got some mating photos - am back to my butterfly voyeurism!!! Will start new posts with photos.

~ Cat

Hey Cat, awesome pictures. I also have the dutchmans pipevine eleganus, and mine eat it up every year! Wish I had those other pipevines for sure!!! I have been planting host plants for years now for monarchs, swallowtails, giant sulphas and any butterfly or bird or hummer that wants to come visit me :). Now to find me some other pipevines for my garden, great forum y'all. Keep up the great work!!!!
Ruby

Ruby...there are hundreds at the ranch. Did you get to see the photos of them roosting in trees I posted last month?


Was at the ranch today...the Pipevine Swallowtails are at it again...and there's a third one trying to get some action as well :o) Lots of caterpillars and seems every tree out there has chrysalids hanging from them.

~ Cat

...and here's another photo where the intruder is really getting up close and personal!

~ Cat

Super dooper Cat!
They are just gorgeous!! I hope they stay there for a while longer, I don't have enough leaves yet.

Deb

Wow, that is awesome!!!! Okay where is a good place to get those fimbrata pipevines???????? NEED them!!! LOL!!!! Awesome pics, no I did not see those others, but am gonna find them!!!! I have been ill, so not on here much, but this is so cool, thanks for brightening up my day!!!
Ruby

Ruby,

I can't find the a. fimbriata locally. Got some in a trade last year. The Pipevines use a native larval host (swanflower - aristolochia erecta) but it is a small low growing plant - much to hard to find in the wild...but I know there must be gobs because of all the Pipevine Swallowtails out there.

If you find a place that offers a good deal of the aristolochia fimbriata do let me know. I'd like to add more to my yard here in the city as well as plant some around the ranch house too.

~ Cat

Hi Cat, I am on the hunt as of now, have a great day tomorrow!!!! Please do the same for me, I want that pipevine!!!
Ruby

Here's some, it seems like a reasonable price.


http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/03031.html

I have some A. elegans and am wondering if I should trash it, I don't want the cats to eat it and die.

fly_girl,

The Polydamas Swallowtail will use the a. elegans as a larval host. Have had last instar Pipevine cats eat is as a last resort. Haven't had any butterfies laying eggs on it those. A pipevine found my a. fimbriata that I had planted on the east side of the house. I found a second instar caterpillar on it. All the rest of the a. fimbriata is in pots in my back yard...go figure!

Will check out plant delights...thanks for the heads up.

~ Cat

Hi, I found a nursery that sells it too- http://www.lazyssfarms.com----------------theirs is cheaper, but I don't know if it is bigger or not. Has anyone ordered from this nursery??? Have a great day!!!
Ruby B

wrong addy, here is the correct one :) http://www.lazyssfarm.com

Cat - All your photos are great!!! Isn't it wonderful to see the butterflies showing up again! Where you live, you have the possibility of seeing all kinds of unique butterflies. How lucky for you! Sounds like you are going to plant a butterfly heaven on the ranch. Very cool!!!!

I have lots of fimbriata seed if anyone wants some. Just send a SASE.

Karen,

Is it easy to grow from seed? I've not tried that before as I'd gotten plants in a trade last year. The Pipevines loved it...and by the looks of the Pipevine Swallowtail invasion out here I am going to need lots of plants to keep them fed. I want to get more growing for the fall season.

Will send a SASE to you.

Thanks!!! ~ Cat

Don't know Cat, I am about to plant some for the first time myself.

A. fimbriata is very easy from seeds. I just sow them where I want them to come up. They make huge tuber like roots within a year and are pretty easy to move if you get them too thick.

Cala...many thanks for the info!!! I have one a. fimbriata that has a huge tuber :o) The others are small plants I got in trade. Am going to get seeds started this weekend.

Thanks again!!!

~ Cat