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Category: nature's marvels | Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:02 am

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well, we have a lot of butterflies in the garden. the annoying thing is, before the reach the flying away stage, they vanish. they lay their eggs, then the caterpillars are out, they eat up a whole plant, then they go into the pupa stage, then, gone. must be the birds. anyway, it is the rule of nature.
some pics.



eaten up by two caterpillars! ( photo / image / picture from greenfairy's Garden )






moved to another plant for safety? ( photo / image / picture from greenfairy's Garden )






it looks so like the leaf ( photo / image / picture from greenfairy's Garden )






sometimes only the candle of the anthurium ( photo / image / picture from greenfairy's Garden )






hibiscus- gives lots of flowers ( photo / image / picture from greenfairy's Garden )






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toni wrote on Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:21 am:

I usually plant for the butterflies. Most plants will get new leaves after the caterpillars are finished eating and they usually don't eat enough to kill a plant. It doesn't take long from caterpillar and chrysalis so maybe the birds aren't getting them, they could be going off to pupate.

When moving a caterpillar to another plant, make sure it is another host plant for that species. If not, they will not eat and die off without ever getting a chance to pupate.

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Sjoerd wrote on Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:33 am:

What an interesting posting, GF--It does sound like the birds are getting your butterflies before they emerge. I wonder if you can't devise some sort of protective screening around the plant with the chrysalises on them. Witnessing an adult emerging is a very special event.

Well, GF--I was a bit shocked to see the damage that the caterpillers had done to your plant in that first picture. WOW!

...and that Anthurium! Just amazing.

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greenfairy wrote on Fri Jul 08, 2011 4:26 am:

thanks toni & sjoerd for the suggestion. but, i am not sure i want to have a butterfly garden. i think i love my plants more!

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carolyn keiper wrote on Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:15 pm:

Greenfairy, You could tuck the plants that are host plants in a corner or behind your other plants and have them kind of hidden. The plants usually bounce right back after they have been stripped of their foliage, also. So it's a pretty short time that the foliage looks so bad. And the butterfly garden is for the butterflys, just so we can see them. keep smiling and go have a pruning day. cut back the foliage by 1/2 to 1/3 and wait to see how beautiful it will be in a few weeks.

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greenfairy wrote on Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:53 pm:

ok, carolyn, i will do that, thanks.

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