It’s pretty cool to watch caterpillars eat. There are still some great southern white caterpillars in the garden.
Hanging on
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Tag Archives: great southern white caterpillar
The great
The great southern white caterpillars have reappeared in the garden. I left the pepperweed growing in the garden. Some that I found growing in the yard, I dug up and plainted in pots, as it is the host plant for this butterfly. I am happy to say some are still green and doing great.
The great return
The Great Southern White butterflies have returned to the garden. I have noticed them almost daily now hovering and landing on their host plant, Virginia peppergrass (pepperweed). This plant grows freely all over the yard. It probably started pushing through the dirt last month. The best part, it is now growing in numerous places in my designated, safe space, garden area.
The female, which can be a dirty to gray, white coloring, with black forewing apex, and a black forewing cell spot, have sure been busy. The female lays yellow, spindle-shaped eggs, either single, or in clusters. The photographs, below, show the eggs in clusters.
My favorite distinction of this butterfly is the amazing turquoise antennal clubs. They are absolutely stunning. The wingspan of this butterfly ranges from 45 to 58 mm.
The great southern white caterpillar
Well, I am happy to say these residents of the butterfly house sure have a healthy appetite! Thank goodness the pepperweed is in abundance in the yard, as they are eating more and more as they grow in size.
I have found an easier way, and well affordable too, to keep the plants in water, while keeping the caterpillars away from the water. Take a water bottle, cut a hole in the cap and stick the plant through. My plants stay happy and green for a while before having to restock their source of food. I know when that time comes because the caterpillars scatter all over the butterfly house in search of green leaves.
They have been in the butterfly house since the second week of April. Some of them look as if they might be ready for a chrysalis soon.
Now a regular
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.
