If you're a green, green caterpillar on a green, green salvia plant, and you spend a few days eating the very red salvia blossoms, your camouflage is blown. You've become a pinkish-red caterpillar because, well, you are what you eat.
You are what you eat ...
LOL wow what a great shot of that! what salvia is that? Love it.. Debra
Hi Debra, that's Salvia gesneraeflora 'Tequila'. He's not a big caterpillar, less than 2 inches long, but he's become such a funny, almost glowing color, he caught my eye from 10 feet away. Does he know that he stands out so clearly? Is he embarassed, or does he think he's never looked more beautiful in all his life?
Personally , I like a few pillars hanging out.. they do turninto some sort of pollinator at some point.. he prolly glows cuz he knows he is gonna keep that Salvia blooming !
Do you know what kind of caterpillar he is ? I think I have to get some of that S. gesneraeflora 'Tequila'................
No, I don't, I should find out, but he was very green last week when I left him feeding on the Salvia darcyi leaves that are right against the 'Tequila' plants. He has a funny feeding style. He'll spend more than an hour chewing a hole in the calyx of a flower to eat the part of the flower that's inside the calyx, but he won't go about a half inch farther to eat right into the flower without having to chew through the calyx. He's done that over and over, holes in the calyx, instead of marching out to eat the exposed part of the blossom. Wonder if that's the tastiest part?
Maybe post it on the butterfly forum ? Moth or BF someone there will know what he is.
Could be he is attracted to the nectary and its sugary syrup. Is he eating the four unfertilized ova and the gynobase that they sit on? These would be especially rich in nutrients.
It would be interesting to check out the colors of the pupa and the adult. Clothes moths do take on the colors of the wool they eat.
I figured he knows what he's doing. Such clear and repeated behavior on his part, all those calyces with one, sometimes two holes in them, I figured the part he's going for must be the yummiest or most rewarding to him. He's not moving very quickly, even though it's been in the mid-80s in there most of the last week, most all day.
I hope I can keep track of him to see if he makes a pink pupa. He's almost out of flowers where he is now, I'm going to have to start cutting more flowering 'Tequila' branches to bring in to him to keep his ruby glow going. Yes, I will be bringing a bouquet to a worm, that's not odd, is it?
No odder than me running out and buying extra milkweed because the Monarchs laid eggs here In January so now i've got Monarch caterpillars as house guests.
wow , wish I had some of those pillars down here.. my plants need a butterfly soon!
Well, I'm running myself in circle trying to keep them fed. I'm probably going to have to call the one nursery that had milkweek in stock to be able to have enough to feed them. I found 3 more today while I was preparing for the 20 -25 degree weather. Obviously they are not paying attention to the fact that it is JANUARY!!!!
hey I have two large plants growing in my basement I brought in to see if they would bloom some more and they are .. shall I uproot one and mail it to ya??
Joeswife,
Hey girl!! If you are ok w/ sparing one I'd love it. You've seen my tradelist, if there's something else you'd like just say so...or I will pay the postage. Might want to wait a few day's till the weather is warmer...even here in Central Florida is's supposed to go down to 25 - here where I am......that doesn't happen to often here!!!!!!. But I'd love some. Trade or postage, just let me know and we'll do it when the weather is better....but ...I'm fairly new to salvia's ( this from someone who is eyeing at least 6 different ones on ebay),,,,if you think they will be ok.....i'm game..............
mj