CLOSED: Green caterpillars on Alyssum

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hczenobia Burke, VA Aug 04, 2007

These green caterpillars have decimated my Alyssum. Any idea what they are/will become? Should I let them stick around? If not, how do I get rid of them? There are tiny green eggs in the soil of the window boxes, also. Are these for more caterpillars?

http://s202.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/hczenobia/Caterpillar/?action=view¤t=Miscellaneous006.jpg

http://s202.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/hczenobia/Caterpillar/?action=view¤t=Miscellaneous008.jpg

http://s202.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/hczenobia/Caterpillar/?action=view¤t=Miscellaneous007.jpg

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Heather

This message was edited Aug 3, 2007 7:58 PM

Post #3815150
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fly_girl The Woodlands, TX(Zone 8b) Aug 04, 2007

Heather, can you get a better picture of them? Do they have any unusual characteristic, like, stripes, brown head, anything? There's quite a few butterfly cats that are green.
Thanks

Post #3815165
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hczenobia Burke, VA Aug 04, 2007

I tried to take some better pictures, but couldn't really get anything better. The cats are plain green, and exactly the same color and size as the alyssum leaves, about 1 inch long. There is the very slightest hint of an orangish/brownish line along the bottom side of the cat near its legs, and its head is a quarter shade darker green than its body.

Post #3815210
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hczenobia Burke, VA Aug 04, 2007

Here's a better shot of the same scene: http://s202.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/hczenobia/Caterpillar/?action=view¤t=Caterpillar009.jpg

Post #3815270
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fly_girl The Woodlands, TX(Zone 8b) Aug 04, 2007

It could be the Cabbage Butterfly:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/cabbagewhitesml1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/cabwhitesml.htm&h=270&w=393&sz=15&hl=en&start=71&um=1&tbnid=v2xcB9kq7-DWoM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcabbage%2Bbutterfly%2Bcaterpillar%26start%3D60%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Or a Clouded Sulfur
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.discoverlife.org/IM/I_DLW/0001/320/Colias_philodice,_larva,I_DLW131.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20o%3Fsearch%3DColias%2Bphilodice&h=212&w=320&sz=24&hl=en&start=28&um=1&tbnid=_tuj055mU8mTpM:&tbnh=78&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dclouded%2Bsulfur%2Bbutterfly%26start%3D20%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

If it's neither of those, you could just go to BugGuide.com and scroll through all the caterpillars, it's sometimes a daunting task to figure out which one it is.

Or, look up butterfly larvae that feed on the Mustard family of plants, that narrows it down some.

Post #3815412
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