Are you familiar with Catalpa and its habit?

I'm new to bignonia trees, though I love the orchid-like flowers of the mature specimen that I've seen around my neighborhood. I've seen weak trees growing in the wild without regular care they could look rather ratty and unattractive, not to mention it's a hostplant for catalpa sphinx moths (?) whose larvae is used as fish baits. It's said the caterpillars can defoliage the tree rapidly.

A couple of years past, I've lost a mature dogwood tree, in its place, bird planted a Catalpa! I'm seeking to learn more about this tree's cuture. If you've helpful experience to share, memories of the 'fish-baits' story to tell? Please join in for the discussion. The young tree is growing in this lush partially shaded garden.

Let's talk about Catalpas.

The picture isn't the best. But, the leaves are shown with evidence of insect damage. I'm interested in the Catalpa's moths larvae. Is this how the leaves look like when they're hosting the caterpillars?

The tree is now too tall for me to take a closer look. I enjoy butterfly gardening, and I'm raising the tree for the first time for its dual-function; flowers and butterfly purposes.

I love my trees.....but I have NEVER seen any worms on mine..thank you Lord...lol..everyone loves the trees for the worms..best fishing worms....they say beauty comes at a price....beautiful orchid flowers....then the tree gets ugly with worms...some people will ask to buy the worms? people say you turn the worms inside out....please don't ask.. I'm only telling you what was told to me....lol .. I sell out of the baby trees every year...I just dig them up in the fall and sell them in the spring mainly to the people that have fishing cabins.

Jody

Resin, thank you for de-mystify my misconception on how the seeds got dispersed. lol. Jody, no worms? Hmmm, I may have to mail order my worms to get mine a jump start then. lol.

So what are the culprits that chewed those holes on my Catalpa's leaves? Beetles? NOOOOOOO! (especially, I can't use chemical due to my birds' and butterflies gardening).

This message was edited Aug 12, 2009 7:44 PM

this time of the year with rain and heat and all around funky weather it's hard to tell unless you look and see whats on it....try going out early in the morning...and at dusk...watch to see what birds like that tree....they maybe eating the bugs and if you can see what birds they are maybe that will tell you something..

with a few greenhouses I don't have toooo much time to watch my trees....this is how bad I am....I seen some poop with these BIG seeds in it...with 7 dogs the first thing that came to mind was ''what in the sam h--- has the babies got into''....told a friend that also has a nursery and he said it was persimmon seeds....lord and behold I have two persimmon trees....and the poop was 'I think' from a possum...lol

I think I need to stay out of the GH's more...lol lol lol

Jody

Bright and early it's! Jody, guess what? I didn't believe my eyes, lol. No mail order for the cats. is neccessary. Wooohooo, now I've my Catalpa cats. I'll see if I can zoom in on those 'lil guys.

I'm glade you have the little guys....I'm even happier that I don't....lol lol

happy gardening...

Jody

I'm not an avid fisherman ... errr fisherwoman that's! I enjoy butterfly gardening though. Hopefully I can get to watch those instars develope over the growing season. They look to be the first instars (small yet). This could be the first brood (on my young tree). I read up on the moth's life cycle write ups. It's said that they have 2-3 broods in a year, from anywhere b/w April - Nov.

I have two catalpas that are about 12 feet high. They bloomed for the first time this year. Some larger catalpas in the area are at the entrance to the Hidden Creek neighborhood in Pelham and they are lovely for a short time. Then there are some amazing specimens in the East Lake area of Birmingham. Large mature trees that I meant to photograph this year but didn't get around to it.

My trees aren't that attractive now, but maybe someday they will get big and beautiful like those in Birmingham. If you want to go see them next spring I will look up the address where I saw them...it's in my gardening journal (my written one, not the one I have online here). B'ham isn't such a drive for you and while you are there you can drop by the Plant Odyssey nursery; worth a trip anytime!

Catalpa trees up north here get really tall and stately.Usually single trunked and make an awesome sight when in bloom. I have always called them popcorn trees, cause the blooms when they fall on the ground look like buttered popcorn!! They are also called cigar trees here because of the long cigar shaped seed pods.

Kyle :-)

I mistook my Catalpa for a Paulownia and it nearly got the axe. If the guy who does work for me actually listened, it would have! Glad he didn't (this time,) the blooms are awfully pretty.

No caterpillars, either - I wouldn't mind too much, the tree sits at the edge of some woods and would blend in even if it got raggedy.

Pagancat, with all the negative rating of the Pawlonia trees. I was a little concerned about my tree too, until I took picture and has it identity confirmed by fellow DGers. The Princess tree has a beauty of its own rights. I saw one mature specimen in a nearby older subdivision while in blooms couple years ago and I was at awes with its beauty. Though, neighbors in the vicinity may not have appreciated the seedlings that very tree offerred over the years.

With the Catalpas however, I believe the trees are underappreciated. Most what I've seen are beautiful, like others have mentioned here.

As far as the moths and their larvae concerns, poor things have to survive the harsh nature out there. Between the birds' ravenous appetites for caterpillars. Wasps too are their predators/parasitic enemies whereby if they don't eat them cats. (depends on the species) they lay eggs in them and use them as hosts for their own future offsprings.