One benefit of taking care of this largely natural area instead of gardening at home is that we can plant something like this Purple Passion Flower
(Passiflora incarnata) and not worry about trying to keep it in bounds. It is supposed to be a butterfly host plant, and sure enough, last year it was host to Gulf Fritillary
(Agraulis vanillae) caterpillars who ate everything except parts of the stem and then, as far as we could tell, starved to death. Today I noticed two hatches of caterpillars which we think are Zebra Longwings
(Heliconius charithonia). I picked off all but one of each hatch, trying to avoid last years fate—of course it may also be that one of those I picked off had been the only one not destined to end up as bird food.
One benefit of taking care of this largely natural area instead of gardening at home is that we can plant something like this Purple Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) and not worry about trying to keep it in bounds. It is supposed to be a butterfly host plant, and sure enough, last year it was host to Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) caterpillars who ate everything except parts of the stem and then, as far as we could tell, starved to death. Today I noticed two hatches of caterpillars which we think are Zebra Longwings (Heliconius charithonia). I picked off all but one of each hatch, trying to avoid last years fate—of course it may also be that one of those I picked off had been the only one not destined to end up as bird food.
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