Shades of Purple — Sawfly Larvae!

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Meredith

In one of those wow moments, one in which you had more than your smart phone to take a picture, I happened upon a wondrous sight. These little guys might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you might just have to admit they’re still pretty cool… check out these colorful larvae:

They are by gosh purple, and while they are caterpillar-like, they are not actually caterpillars. They are the larvae of certain sawflies, which are in the Order Hymenoptera (along with ants, bees, and wasps). They were munching on Indian Mallow down near Onion Creek.

I have Indian Mallow (Abutilon fruticosum) growing wild in my backyard — I’m going to have to keep an eye on the plants for potential sawfly larvae there, too. Why? Because they are so very cool… and purple! Apparently they are not a common sight — I feel very fortunate indeed to have spotted them. Purple! Nature rocks.

It All Comes Full Circle

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Meredith

A few years ago, in the early stages of my wildlife garden, I planted my first Wafer Ash, or Common Hop Tree (Ptelea trifoliata). I was ecstatic about it, because I longed for Giant Swallowtail caterpillars to call it home (and dinner). These fun caterpillars are known for their characteristic bird-poop appearance, but the adult Giant Swallowtail stage is also spectacular — a gorgeous and very large yellow-and-black butterfly.

giantswallcat10-14-14 This year we had to transplant that now large Wafer Ash to the opposite side of the yard, and I feared that it wouldn’t survive. But amazingly enough it did, and we have our latest batch of bird-poop caterpillars. These little guys are making me so happy, and I really do feel at the moment like the garden has come full circle — I’m right back to seeing one the favorite fauna species I planted trees for all those years ago.

giantswallcat10-18-14 Wafer Ash is a small deciduous tree found in much of the eastern and southern areas of the United States and into Central America. Because it prefers part shade to shade for its light, it serves well as an understory tree. It earned its species name trifoliata for its characteristic three leaflets. Small white flowers in late spring give rise to wafer-like seeds come fall, hence one of its common names.

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But Wafer Ash is not actually in the ash family at all — it’s actually part of the citrus family. In fact, lemon, orange, and other citrus trees can sometimes host these little caterpillars, too. I’ve definitely noticed that they much prefer the more tender leaves — I wonder whether the female butterfly actually selects them that way. In the wild, I can’t ever seem to find caterpillars on hop trees with bigger, darker leaves.

giantswallcatb10-18-14 When these caterpillars take a rest, they are often found along the bark or branches of the tree, perhaps for camouflage or to simply avoid predators that might more easily locate them on the green leaves. As if that bird poop appearance isn’t enough to deter would-be munchers!

Soft, Silver, and Sunny: The Silverleaf Sunflower

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Meredith

I’m enjoying all the fall blooms in the wildlife garden right now, but ones that have me particularly happy are the cheerful Silverleaf Sunflowers (Helianthus argophyllus) that are lining our dry creek bed in the front yard. They are grandchildren of the original plant I grew in the front yard a couple of years ago. 20141014-IMG_2030silvsunflA

These delightful flowers of sunshine grow easily from seed. Admittedly, the flowers also happily spread wherever their seeds catch hold (or get dropped by hungry birds). Sure, I’m seeing more seedlings each year that I grow them, but this plant is so beautiful that I see it as a plus. Wherever I’m fine with them growing, I let them stay.

The fuzzy — nay, hairy — blue-green leaves are incredibly silky to the touch. Can you tell in the image just how soft those leaves are? I can’t stop petting them when I walk by. It’s easy, too, to understand how they got the name silverleaf.

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The flowers and their attractive foliage are even catching the eyes of neighbors — I’ve had people drive by, roll down their window, and ask what kind of flowers they are. Now that I’ve got so many blooms, I’ve been sharing the coveted seeds, too. I do the same with our bluebonnet seedlings and seeds — bit by bit, my little-big garden is spreading beauty into our neighborhood.

I will say this about the sunflowers — they get very tall, so tall that they might flop over, as you can see in the above photo. They are well over 7 feet in my yard, in fact. They also will lose their lower leaves as they grow, and in the hot sun they might look a little pitiful until you are kind and give them water (I’m kind enough to wait for rainfall). But they perk up quickly with that touch of moisture — just don’t over-water them. Because they can drop their lower leaves, it’s probably a good idea to plant them behind a small shrub or other perennial, something with a nice contrasting red, pink, or purple bloom, I’d say, or perhaps something with a harder texture. I’ll do that next year.

Oddly enough, this plant is shown to be found in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. What about those states in between? I wonder. In terms of wildlife value, the plant provides nutritious seeds for finches and other birds, and it is a host plant for Bordered Patch and Silvery Checkerspot butterflies.

This season, I’m also taking some of the seeds and sprinkling them around my backyard. I’m going to surround us in happy plants!