Swallowtails Released

[NickiM]

I haven't found any monarch cats yet, but I have raised and released some swallowtails. I planted rue and bronze fennel just for them, but found most of them on my carrot plants. I don't mind though, I don't eat the tops and the cats don't eat enough from any one plant to hurt the carrots.

I found a new kind of cat on one of my carrots today. It's most black, with very pale yellow lengthwise stripes. Does anyone know what this cat is? I'm sorry I can't post a pic, but I don't have a digital camera.

Plus, I've been finding black fuzzy cats COVERING my milkweed. They've stripped the leaves down to the ribs. I don't know what they are either, and I don't want to kill them until I'm sure they're something I don't want. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Paul Cherubini]

Fuzzy caterpillars are usually moth caterpillars. Butterfly caterpillars are generally smooth skinned though some have spiny like structures.

[NickiM]

I found some pictures of Milkweed Tussock Moths and that's what these were. Fortunately, I seem to have gotten rid of all of them, and the milkweed is starting to rebound.