Nasty, Nasty, Nasty (Revised)

adult border patch (Chlosyne lacinia)











Border patch caterpillars are a plague on the annual sunflowers. Goodness. They can eat up a great big leaf in a few hours. It’s like, Biblical. Mercy!




They have gotten so bad at the CB, Crumby has taken to thumping them. Correct. Most of these got thumped once Crumby took their picture. Yes. Crumby seems to be the only predator besides Podisus the bug. And those bugs are weak sisters compared to these r-selected dynamos.




Yes. Crumby would rather have the annual sunflowers which are flowering and fixing to produce sunflower seeds, than instant compost. Plus, these little boogers eat up the Verbesina and the Viguera too. Gracious sakes alive, Ma!






We may have too many.








At least they don't seem to eat the adults favorite food plants, firewheel and orange zexmenia.







Oops! Wrong about the zexmenia. Here they are, older ones, eating up that too. It's probably safe to say these voracious vermin will eat up just about every Asteracea in your yard.