Croton Leafwing changing...Cat, ID help?

I caught one of the leafwing cats outside of its folded leaf. It's changed so much! Very nice cat. They are a bit wary of humans. Must get another croton plant. Cat, any idea on what it is?

WOW Linda!!! That is one heck of an awesome photo!!! Such detail!!! FANTASTIC!!! Geeezzzzz....I still can't get over how great that photo is...one of the best photographs of a leafwing cat I've seen!!!

Not sure what kind you have there...tropical? goatweed? The caterpillars look very similar :o) Do you know which you have? Haven't seen one quite so brown looking...out here they tend to be on the green side...perhaps the season or species.

Texas has several different species of crotons:

Wooly Croton aka Hogwort (croton capitatus var. lindheimeri)

Northern Croton (croton glandulosus var. septentrionalis)

One-Seeded Croton aka Prairie Tea (croton monanthogynous)

Texas Croton aka Tinajera (croton texensis)

Check the area around where you live. Chances are you'll see some growing along the road, in a ditch, near the woods etc. If a leafwing found it's way to the croton plant you have there will most likely native larval hosts nearby that have sustained previous generations of leafwings.

Try googling for plant images and compare them to what you have. Hope that helps.

~ Cat


This message was edited Jun 19, 2007 8:45 PM

Ah...here's an old photo from 2005 of a Tropical Leafwing cat. Looks more green than brown/maroon. This one was on wooly croton at our local NABA park.

~ Cat

Wow! What an unusual looking cat! He looks like he has a bike helmet on his head! LOL! Great photo, Linda! You and Cat are taking some very good close-up shots! Thanks for educating all of us with your detailed photos!

I was just asking about the cat ID, Cat. The plant I have is supposed to be another native you didn't mention, Bush Croton, Croton fruiticulosus. I don't think anyone knows much about its potential as a host plant. I got it last month when I went to an event where some plants were for sale. I got excited when cats turned up on it just weeks later. Well, maybe the cats will turn more green later. I want to get another plant so I'll have a good chance of any cats that might show up later won't run out of food. I think I can find a croton to dig up somewhere. Glad you liked the photo!

Duh....I misread that...thinking you were asking about the plant... :o) Well, how 'bout we narrow it down to goatweed and leafwing :o) heh heh

I'll have to look up bush croton...the common name sounds familar...but the scientific doesn't.

Okay...seems Goatweeds are more abundant throughout Texas. Yet, the Tropical probably reaches your area too.

Got any photos of local leafwings?

I don't see any records for Angled Leafwings, Pale Spotted Leafwings or Florida Leafwing in Bexar county...ya'll are in that county?

Elsewise we're gonna have to just wait for that cat...time will tell for sure :o)

~ Cat

Linda!
That cat is Fantastic! So dramatic...

Adrienne

I took a pic I took a couple of days ago and blew it up a lot with my software so you guys could see the cool look the cats have real close up. Kind of like one kind of beaded handbag...or something? They have weird yellow and black horns on the top of their heads. I really think I have the Tropical Leafwing.

Now they're getting more greenish and eating a lot (I dug up another croton, but may run out anyway). These two are funny...they are buddies or something. Now they both have leaf nests but one will try to get into the nest with the other one, when the nest doesn't even cover one properly, much less two. I can almost imagine what the one in the nest says. "Hey! Get away! This is my nest and you won't fit! Don't you see my tail end sticking out the other side?"
Can you see the nest with the little cat in the shadow of the nest/leaf?

Great photos Linda!!! Too funny about them hogging the nest.

~ Cat

Nice pictures Linda, they are strange looking but cute.

Linda - They are really neat looking cats. So different than most! Love how they try to steal the curled up leaf. Maybe they are social cats? Some are, ya know! Great photos, too! I'm enjoying these cuties!

Linda,

Must compliment you on your photographs. I remember all too well how hard it is to get photos of the cats that like to form leaf nests. Seems the leafwings are the shyest of the bunch. My guava tree must have at least 50 guava cats in different instars all nicely hiding in their refugiums!!! I am able to go out in the early morning or early evening and find them moving around in full view to form a new nest though.

~ Cat

They're getting greener all the time! But I knew this morning that the foliage would be gone by the time we got home later. So I got an idea where to get some croton cuttings to give them. I stopped near a creek on the way home. And wow, everything is growing so tall and lush this year...looked like a jungle. When I got near the creek, something moved nearby..a wild hog! And not alone, either, there was a bunch of them. I made some noises to scare them off and they finally ran off. So I did find one croton eventually...cut some branches to take home and got out of there fast! Those cats better not expect any more take-out food, 'cause I'm not doing that again! Whew! I must have been nuts...those critters are dangerous.

Linda - YOU are VERY LUCKY those wild hogs didn't charge you. The males can be very territorial and mean ! Glad you still managed to get some leaves despite the danger. :-)

Well, the first leafwing formed a C and is going to pupate!

Oh, and here's my single RSP cat...still little but growing!

And the largest of the spicebush cats!

AWESOME, Linda! I love that Spicebush cat! I want some in my yard!

Wow Linda...glad the hogs didn't bother you!

You have quite a collection of cats....love the Spicebush cat....what a cutie!

Linda,
Your close-up photo's of the croton cats were awesome! Great colors...I love it! Is the remaining guy lonely?
It's cool to see your Spicebush cat. I found 2 but they're really only the size of pencil lead right now...so it's n ice to see how they're going to look down the line.
Keep us posted!

Adrienne

Oh, I had two more croton cats left. And guess what? Both soon decided to start pupating at the same time. I think those were the two "buddies". I'm having trouble keeping some of the Spicebush leaves fresh...some wilt quickly, even stuck into containers with water. Is there any other way to keep those fresh longer? It's such a problem. Many of the cats want to stay with their leaf that has the folded part to hang out in, even though it's wilted.

Linda - That is an issue I have a problem with, too. Which is why, when I am able, I just grow the plants in gallon pots that I can fit into one of my cages. I do that with milkweed and dill.

I do have one potted spicebush, but unfortunately I have nothing big enough to put it in, other than the welded wire and screen cages that go over the plants. Which is what I may do. It's not absolutely enclosed, so occasionally spiders and such end up in there...I assume they sneak in under the lower part that sits on the ground. And on occasion wild animals pull the clothespins off, leaving part of the cage open. But it's better than having the cats open to everything.

Okay...the first of the Leafwings eclosed. I'm still not sure what I have! I couldn't get a pic with the wings open. But here's the butterfly.

This message was edited Jul 7, 2007 4:09 PM

Oh Linda, what a beauty.....maybe a Tropical Leafwing.......it has that 'tooth' by the tail.

Well, it's about time something went right around here. There is some kind of cat epidemic going on around here. I've lost all but one of the TSTs, most of the SBST have died, several GST cats died...and 3 VF chrysalises turned dark but never emerged. I've been SO bummed out...I've never seen anything like this before. I think the VF had OE. But then yesterday one last VF butterfly eclosed and it seemed okay and then this Leafwing...and one GST emerged today also. The survivors seem all the more precious...here's one of the SBST cats that have survived....so far.

This message was edited Jul 7, 2007 4:47 PM

Linda - So sorry to hear about your loss. I've had it happen many, many times. And I know how disappointing it is! Sometimes the cats have it when you find them and then they spread it to the other cats in the cage. Be sure to clean your cages out with bleach water and then let it air dry to get rid of the chlorox smell. That's the only way I know to rid a cage of this disease! That's why I always tell folks when they are making a cage to be sure to make it so that it CAN be scrubbed and rinsed out just for this reason. If it's not cleaned out it will spread the disease to future cats and butterflies. {{{{hugs}}}}

I suspect the frequent rain here has created favorable conditions for disease among the butterflies and cats. I always clean the containers with bleach and detergent any time they're vacant. Not to mention the hamper cages also...they're a chore to clean properly. And maybe keeping species separate, sizes of cats separate might help some. The other two leafwings eclosed today. Wish they'd open their wings. The croton plants have grown some new leaves outside since the cats finished off all the foliage earlier.