The great southern white caterpillars are slowly growing and multiplying in our butterfly house. They sure do blend with the leaf coloring of the perpperweed, making it rather difficult to get an exact count of how many caterpillars are taking up residence. They lay about 20 eggs in a cluster and there were quite a few clusters.

I have read that the caterpillar will eat for two to four weeks, so they have a ways to go. The chrysalis stage is anywhere from eight to 14 days.

The great part is its host plant grows freely in our yard, and my neighbors yard. There is an abundance everywhere. So I have been experimenting with the peppergrass. I have dug some up and put it in a vase full of water to let it root some more before planting it in the garden.

The butterfly has become a daily visitor of the garden, with its favorite nectar plants being the red penta and an occasional zinnia.