A very helpful person here suggested I had a Cardoon plant growing on my balcony -- and it sure looked like one!!!
Well.. it finally bloomed and it turned out to be a Milkweed -- a very BIIIG Milkweed.
And it had a resident:
Lookee here!!!
It is a Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Caterpillar)
It ate and ate and ate the milkweed. I waited for it to spin its coccooon and morph.
Sadly the caterpillar went missing. For a number of reasons, I know the balcony kitty did not do it. However, the balcony. altho fenced in, has a gap that a bird could come thru.
But i didn't think birds would eat this guiy -- these caterpillars secrete a stinky fluid that supposedly renders them inedible.
Agh
i searched high and low for it, but it is nowhere to be found.
Experientia docet .....
Perhaps there is another butterfly egg on this milkweed that will hatch? If so, I will then cover the milkweed with a cheesecloth "tent". I sure do have PLENTY of milkweed left for a caterpillar to munch upon!!!
This message was edited Jul 28, 2008 8:37 AM
