10-10-2021, 02:43 AM
Acer wrote:
[quote=PeterB]
[quote=Acer]
[quote=PeterB]
[quote=voodoopenguin]
A little video my daughter took four years ago in her garden.
https://youtu.be/prZ8nlqQedE
Paul
Wow, I didn't get anywhere near such a good look as that ... mine seemed very skittish and would tend to fly away if I approached. (Also they were all out there at dusk, so the lighting was terrible.)
I take it these things aren't considered pests, since they're pollinators?
The caterpillars can damage some plants. They are in the Sphinx family with tomato hornworms and the like. But, being native insects to North America, I say that's our problem, not theirs.
I saw that, but it looks like the plants the adults are interested in are not the ones the caterpillars like to eat?
Correct. The adults like large, open flowers like bee balm, coneflower, sunflower. etc. The caterpillars, at least the ones that are most notable agricultural nuisances like things in the potato and tomato families.
Ahhh, good. So these guys are in the "good" category then, because I presume they're good pollinators (at least, that's how it looked to me!) ... I was surprised they were making such good use of the plumbago, because apparently it's not a good choice for pollinators: http://blueridgediscoveryproject.blogspo...-like.html