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Post by dailydreamer on Jul 19, 2021 13:55:20 GMT -8
Hello! I found these little caterpillars on my milkweed and was wondering what kind they were and if I need to take extra precautions in protecting my plant. I live in the San Diego area. Also, I was wondering about those white curvy details on my leaves. Thank you! ibb.co/b7GNKTXibb.co/hXStvbt |
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Post by eurytides on Jul 19, 2021 14:22:55 GMT -8
Monarch butterfly larva.
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Post by dailydreamer on Jul 19, 2021 15:36:49 GMT -8
I’ve never experienced this before! Is it safe for my milkweed plant to have these larvae on it? I am apprehensive that the plant will be harmed but I do not have enough knowledge to know what next steps to take. Any suggestions welcome, thanks again!
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Post by kevinkk on Jul 19, 2021 16:20:20 GMT -8
I don't know how fast milkweed grows, but the larva are eating it, and the plant may be able to support a few larva without damage,
it's your call.
Plants in your yard you don't want are "weeds", no matter if you see the same thing at the nursery, it's the same thing here, if you don't
want the bugs- they're pests, maybe they could be relocated to a different milkweed, the monarch's only food plant.
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Post by exoticimports on Jul 19, 2021 16:40:06 GMT -8
I’ve never experienced this before! Is it safe for my milkweed plant to have these larvae on it? I am apprehensive that the plant will be harmed but I do not have enough knowledge to know what next steps to take. Any suggestions welcome, thanks again! I've had a very challenging day without much reward. But I want to thank you for this post, as it brought great mirth. |
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Post by exoticimports on Jul 20, 2021 3:43:53 GMT -8
ETA, I want to show you how easy this is! Search for something like "striped caterpillar white yellow black" and you'll see a whole bunch of images that look just like your caterpillars: duckduckgo.com/?q=striped+caterpillar+white+black+yellow&t=brave&ia=webIf you click any of those it will identify it as a monarch. Then, if you go to Wikipedia and find "monarch butterfly" you will see that the caterpillar eats milkweed. |
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Post by bobw on Jul 20, 2021 4:37:29 GMT -8
I have to admit that I thought the sole purpose of milkweed plants was to feed monarch larvae!
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Post by dailydreamer on Jul 20, 2021 8:26:34 GMT -8
thanks everyone!  |
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