Tag: caterpillars

Lizards Over Caterpillars Cause a Lack of Florida Butterflies

With all the various types of lizards here in Florida, do Monarch caterpillars stand a much of a chance of becoming butterflies?

All I know is what I am seeing in my own little yard, but it’s not hopeful. I’ve seen many caterpillars form and munch on milkweed. They are not around for long, and I blame the abundance of lizards in my yard.

Nature is trying to adjust to all the invasive species, and honestly I think it is losing. Now, there are brown lizards which are invasive. Between those and the normal green anoles, the caterpillars don’t seem to stand a chance.

I’ve been growing and planting milkweed to feed the Monarchs but all I seem to be doing is providing food for lizards.

green anole lizard
Green anole
brown invasive lizard
Brown lizard

I’ve watched caterpillars crawl on the Milkweed. They get to various sizes and then they are simply gone.

Monarch caterpillar
Monarch caterpillar on milkweed
monarch caterpillar on milkweed
Rosemary and Milkweed

The whole time I watched this caterpillar grow he went from milkweed to the rosemary and back again. They seem to like hiding out in the rosemary. Back in April a caterpillar crossed my yard to build a chrysalis on the rosemary plant.

I was beginning to think that maybe this guy was big enough to survive. Finally, a yellow wasp came down and stung him and knocked him off the milkweed! He was happily chowing down on a leaf and I saw the wasp come in and pop him. He ended up crawling down the side of the pot. He was down there for a while, but the next time I looked, he was nowhere to be found.

Black Swallowtail Caterpillars

Little black swallowtail caterpillars were all over my dill plants. I snapped these photos one day in May. The next morning when I looked for them, the caterpillars were all gone.

Although I think it’s unfair that no butterflies get a chance to form, it is not something I can change. Some people raise monarchs inside, but I am not about to do that. Many years ago I saw a black swallowtail butterfly emerge from a chrysalis. I had some parsley growing at the time. It is the only swallowtail I’ve seen make a chrysalis.

I can’t see everything, so maybe a lot of them do pupate. The Monarch caterpillars do tend to crawl to other plants and things. I’m only viewing them for a short time each day.

I do want to fill my yard with plants that accommodate butterflies and caterpillars. I can’t help what happens during their transformation. These plants also feed other critters. And the caterpillars are food for lizards and wasp babies I suppose. Who am I to say how it should go?

Thank you for reading.

Monitoring Milkweed for Caterpillars and Pest Activity

A daily check on the milkweed revealed interesting bug activity. It appears that the aphids are bringing the ladybugs.

Each day I check the milkweed for caterpillars. Although there have been some spotted, I’m seeing other bug activity.

One, tall dill plant is growing next to the milkweed and it is covered in tiny pests. I only just realized how bad it is. These little critters look like aphids. The milkweed has a few yellow aphids also. Last night I counted four ladybugs in the area, with some little yellow ladybug eggs on a dill leaf.

Also, in the same area, I spotted a milkweed bug and shiny blue leaf beetle on the tropical milkweed plant. A yellow paper wasp was also spotted, and I need to check for a nest in the vicinity. With an increase in stinging bugs, I’ll have my Apis Mel (paid link) handy.

Red and black ladybug on stem of dill covered in aphids
Orange and black Milkweed bug on buds of tropical milkweed plant
Milkweed bug
yellow paper wasp on milkweed
Paper wasp
spotted red ladybug on aphid infested dill plant
Spotted ladybug
yellow ladybug eggs on dill leaf
Ladybug eggs
shiny blue leaf-beetle on tropical milkweed leaf.
Leaf beetle?
Milkweed bug and ladybug on tropical milkweed plant

When tiny caterpillars were on my new white Swamp milkweed plant, I transferred them to the tropical milkweed. I don’t like to mess with nature, but the original plant was too small to accommodate any caterpillars. I think the eggs may have been there when I bought the plant.

I ended up putting three tiny caterpillars onto the bigger milkweed plant. I’ve seen only one caterpillar that had grown larger, and now that one seems to have disappeared. I think the lizards are eating them.

Tiny Monarch caterpillar on underside of milkweed leaf.
swamp milkweed plants in pots
Little swamp milkweed plants
two baby monarch caterpillars on milkweed leaves.

Sure enough, I searched for info and found that lizards – both invasive (brown) and the green anoles – will eat the caterpillars and butterflies. So now I have a new problem. I want to feed the Monarchs, but my yard is full of lizards.

Are These Bugs Good or Bad?

I’m no bug expert, but I do know ladybugs are good guys. They eat aphids and when the eggs hatch, the ladybug larvae will also eat the aphids. I’ve seen red ladybugs with lots of black spots and also orange ladybugs with no spots.

Orange spotless ladybug
Black spotted red ladybug

The milkweed bug feeds on flowers and seeds of the milkweed plant. The milkweed assassin bug looks similar, and is a beneficial that will not feed on the plant, but kills unwanted pests. I haven’t seen one of those yet. As far as that pretty blue beetle, I have no information.

The dill plant is one of many that I have all over the garden. Dill is very easy to grow where I live, and I always save seeds each year. As summer closes in, the dill flowers turn to seed and often the plants get infested with aphids. Each year I hope for ladybugs, but never seem to have enough to deal with all the pests.

The dill plants are also good for attracting black swallowtails. Fennel is another plant where I’ve found lots of caterpillars in the past. I rarely get a butterfly as the lizards eat Swallowtail caterpillars too.

Swallowtail larvae on fennel flowers
Many tiny swallowtail caterpillars on a fennel flower head
swallowtail caterpillars
Swallowtail caterpillars

For now, I am simply observing the happenings. Without caterpillars, the tropical milkweed is growing like mad. The Monarch butterflies are still around and laying eggs, so we’ll see what happens.

Welcome fellow gardeners…

Garden Stories

Stories from the backyard garden

One of the most fun things about gardening is seeing the changes day by day. Each morning I go out and check on things. I look for what is growing, what is being eaten, and what new bugs have arrived.

The caterpillars on the dill were doing great, until the cardinals spotted them. Those cardinals have eagle eyes and will pick off bugs and worms in no time.

dill caterpillars

Water Source For Bugs

Small bugs and butterflies appreciate a water source that is shallow. Leaving little containers around the garden can help them find water.

water source for bugs

Cats in the Garden

My cat Skittle loves to walk among the garden growth. She will sleep on the garden path and follows me when I go out to check on things.

cat and pink flowering plant
black cat in the garden
black cat in the garden

More stories on the blog

What’s Happening in the February Garden?

Butterflies are dropping their eggs, and some of my vegetable plants are looking much better, now that February in Florida has arrived.

Spring comes early in Florida. February is a good time to check the garden for signs of butterfly eggs and newly hatched caterpillars.

Swallowtails Laying Eggs

I noticed the black swallowtail butterfly laying her eggs all over my little dill plants. Now the black caterpillars are crawling around, eating and growing.

egg of black swallowtail butterfly
A tiny egg on dill
swallowtail caterpillar
The swallowtail caterpillar
black swallowtail butterfly
black swallowtail butterfly
butterfly in the garden

Every day I looked to make sure I could see all three.

Monarch Caterpillars

I’ve recently discovered how bad it is to have the wrong type of milkweed growing in the yard. I have removed all of my tropical milkweed. It looks like the photo below – with red and yellow-orange flowers – and please plant native milkweed instead.

no to tropical milkweed

Read About the Monarch Story, and the Reasons to Plant Correctly

lost caterpillar

Pests

That’s about it for the creatures, except for the unwanted white bugs. I hand-picked / squashed a bunch of these that were hiding in the tiny new growth on my eggplant. I’m not sure what they are, but probably some kind of aphid.

white aphids

Vegetables That Love February

Many of these vegetables were planted late last Fall. They survived the winter and are now beginning to love the warmer nights and not-too-hot days. I like February temperatures also. The humidity is lower and the days are sometimes hot, but bearable. A bit like a summer days in the north.

The pineapple had a lot of brown leaves. I had to cover some of these gardens when the temps dropped to near, or below, freezing.

Kale
Kale
potato plant
Potato plant
green pepper plant blossom
Pepper Plant
pineapple
pineapple
Lettuce
Lettuce
eggplant plant growing
Eggplant
Cherry tomato plant in raised bed
Cherry Tomato
dill flowers in garden
Dill flowers

The plants themselves are looking much better, but I’m not getting to eat from them. I have picked a few cherry tomatoes, a hot pepper here and there, and had some kale chips, which I made from my kale. I use the parsley and dill to cook, but all my basil died.

It won’t be long before the weather is too hot for the gardens to do well. I’m letting my lettuce to go seed so I can plant more next Fall. I do expect to continue to get peppers and also some eggplant soon.

May Garden Photos With Plant Updates

May in the garden is mostly about finalizing the switch from winter crops to summer. This quick post shows photos of some of what I have growing at this time.

Pam's avatar by Pam

Do I Really Love Fabric Grow Bags?

Rethinking my use of fabric grow bags. The Florida climate dries out the plants too fast. Certain shallow root vegetables, grown during winter, might be the answer.

Pam's avatar by Pam