I have been nurturing #SwanPlants and #MonarchButterflies since around 2012. In all those summers, I have never had a caterpillar cocoon on a swan plant. Not a one.

This year, it is close to a dozen of them. I suspect they are either a) lazy, or b) too busy eating to leave in time to cocoon in a “normal” location. One has even chosen a seed pod.

I am not so sure that is such a good idea, as the other caterpillars have started to eat the seed pods!

18 hours earlier, these stems were full of leaves, until they are now just full of caterpillars. Four smaller caterpillars were even knocked off, probably when another ate the leaf they were hanging on to. Don’t fret, we have moved in a potted plant, to feed them for another while. It is time to give the bigger chaps their eviction notices - there are babies with more growing to do. I am hoping the weather doesn’t turn too cold, before they do.

We had quite a late season this year, which meant the plants had numerous flowers. It was amazing to watch the butterflies and bees feeding on them. A real joy to watch, if you could manage to take an afternoon tea break out there.

If you have not given house room to swan plants in your space, I really recommend it 💯
Oh, and especially if you have youngsters around at all! Make sure they know of the book #VeryHungryCaterpillar
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4948.The_Very_Hungry_Caterpillar

Swan plants: the only plants I grow specifically so that they will get eaten up by "pests"

#Gardening #Caterpillars #Monarchs #SwanPlants