Saw this Pipevine Swallowtail cat starting to pupate. Guess it couldn't have picked a safer place :o) Looks perfectly at home amongst the spines of this cactus - but still I wonder once it emerges as a butterfly if it won't end up tearing a wing on one of those spines...
~ Cat
That's quite amazing! Great protection. I would imagine that it would climb to the top or out on one of the spines to dry it's wings once it emerges. Please keep an eye on it and let us know!
Hi Cat~
I found PV to be pretty smart indeed. Looks like a safe place to pupate, and I hope he doesn't injure himself on the spines too.
Set 2 I had in a cage free in the garden on 2 different pipevines. One of them left their vine the other day and when I looked for him he was on the A. elegans. Guess he liked it better than fimbriata. It was about 12' away. Guess he knows what he likes alright. Its nice to know he was smarter than me about that.. made me chuckle real good.
:-S
That's interesting Deb...they won't touch the a. elegans I have in my yard...and that vine grows, blooms and puts out seeds like wildfire.
Here's one of my a. elegans...it's the vine in the corner...with tendrils working their way up the telephone pole :o)
I'll have to remember to go outside into the back alley and cut off the tendrils before somebody complains.
~ Cat
I love it Cat! I am hoping my vines will get a chance to fluff out good. If not this year, definatly next. That is going to be a challenge to trim down.. It would be nice to know how the neighbors actually feel about it. A few of my plants spill over into neighbors yards, so far, not a sound. Have you had complaints before?
No complaints yet...but this one is crawling over my fence into a grassy alley between subdivisions. I just don't want the vine to do damage to the electrical and phone wires...not sure if they are strong enough or heavy enough to cause problems...so figured I'd head it off at the pass before the city crews see it.
A couple of years ago a neighbor across the alley piled branches and junk from his trees in the area behind my back fence. The city sent me a notice saying they were going to bill me to remove it if I didn't do so myself.
Needless to say, I went out the back gate and over to my neighbor with the trimmed trees and showed him the letter. He said he was sorry and he'd haul it away. I quickly trimmed my trees and added the branches to the pile!!! :o)
He's been mowing the grass in the alley behind my house ever since :o)
Ain't he nice!!! I don't have to take my lawnmower out the back gate anymore.
~ Cat
Sounds like a good deal all the way around Cat! When you ":o)" a lot they usually comply pretty well. :o)..Epecially when they see what they did will cost you. Some folks wait to communicate until they are downright hostile, by then it's too late to get the people to be human. :-D
