Congrats Karyn! Very exciting!!! Nice to have people around with your perspective on what lots of us consider "pests." You gonna try to keep the mature adults around?
shawn

Now that the GF's have finally visited I hope they'll be back next season. The cats I have now should pupate and eclose in a short time. I don't think that GF chrysalises diapause over the winter. I have a few varieties of cats/chrysalisis/cocoons besides the GF's in enclosures now. Monarchs, Red Spotted Purples and I'm raising some tropical giant silk moths, Attacus atlas (Atlas) and Samia ricini (Eri). I say that I do it so the kids can watch but I really enjoy it more. lol

None of my plants are perfect because I don't use any insecticides outside and only use Forbid sparingly on container brugs to treat Broad mites. All other unwanted pests are treated with beneficial insects and/or a blast from a hose. I keep a section of the backyard kind of "wild" to attract natives.

Hi karyn1,

Are you sure they are not Variegated fritillary cats? We have them every year on Incarnata. They look very similar to GF's which very, very rarely reach or even breed that far north.

John

John that's a very good possibility but whichever frit it is it's the first time I've had them. These guys are still pretty small and just look red and black but maybe that will change at a later instar.

The variegated frits. are everywhere up here right now, both adults and larvae. Gulf frits. only blow up this way maybe every 10-15 years, but never really in any numbers. Back around maybe 1999 or so my parents had a huge colony start in there yard from about late june til just after the first few frosts, they were everywhere. Its a shame they don't overwinter here though. Well which ever species they are good luck with them.

I've looked for them for years, but never have I had any show up this far north.

must be nice, though....

~Chills

Karyn,
I have so many chrysalis from them in summer and fall. I'd be more than happy to send you some next year, if you like. :)