I have my dill coming up from last years seed in several containers and I went out and found some strange caterpillers munching on it. Sorry all you butterfly lovers, but butterflies start out as caterpillers eating my dill so I cannot love them. Also I have my asiatic lilies under fire from the lily beetles. I lost three stems on one plant earlier this week because I missed two days checking the plants and hand picking the adults and the larvae. They love the asiatics I have in containers and my stargazers which are in the ground. Sigh. At least I move faster than the slugs for now anyway.
Nasty bugs on my dill
Sorry to hear about your problems . . . but, am I the only one that finds the subject line oddly humorous ?
they like tomatoes also they where eating my dill also. here is a link http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/511032/
I got all of this wave, I think. I haven't seen any more caterpillers on the dill plants so maybe I have prevented imminent destruction for now. Still fighting the lily beetles though.
Martha
Do the caterpillars look like this?
If so, they are the caterpillers of the swallowtail butterfly.
Their food of choice is fennel & dill.
I had them on my fennel in 2003 (when this pic was taken)
I was so excited, I went to about 4 garden centers & bought a whole bunch of fennel - just to keep them happy & well fed.
LOL!
nancy
Sigh. and the tomato hornworm makes an impressive moth also. but it takes at least two whole tomato plants or more to get one. They can't have my dill!!!
Martha
Could you plant more dill? If you want to drive down my next door neighbor has a few thousand extra dill plants!
I know they are beautiful butterflies, but I wish there was some weed or other that they enjoyed like crabgrass. Why can't caterpillers like crabgrass? I have plenty of that! If they ate only half of it, you couldn't even tell.
Martha
Martha, I think it's the same law of nature that governs the fact that you don't see LOTS of chocolate on any diet plan.
LOL!
Nancy
Well, I think I managed to fend off the first wave. The lily beetles seem to be on hiatus at the moment, too. but you can never be too vigilant. I love fresh dill.
Martha