Good evening Neil ji and Usha di, Thanks for your reply.I did not know that host plants are generally specific for butterflies. In the past I had 5-6 very healthy Impatiens plants. One day I saw huge fat green caterpillars voraciously feeding on them . I was happy and decided to let them be there. But they were such voracious eaters that they did not leave a single leaf on the plants and I lost all the plants.I felt very sad. Having these memories I decided that both should live and put them on the grass. Neil ji how many days do these caterpillars take to become a butterfly and would they eat up the whole plant and would the plant survive?. If I know these answers at least in the future I will do the correct thing. Or as Usha di says they should be taken as part of web of life, But if the plant perishes it hurts too... It is tough to decide Regards Bhagyashri
On Thu, Jun 7, 2012 at 6:52 PM, Neil Soares <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Ms. Bhagyashri, > The caterpillars are most likely to be of the Tawny Coster butterfly. > Host plants are generally specific for butterflies. Sometimes butterflies > have multiple host plants as in this case - caterpillars of this > butterfly can also survive on Aporoso lindleyana, Adenia hondala and other > species of Passiflora. > From the grass where you have placed them the caterpillars will either > have to find their way back to the host plant or perish. > With regards, > Neil Soares. > > --- On *Thu, 6/7/12, Bhagyashri <[email protected]>* wrote: > > > From: Bhagyashri <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:118981] efloraofindia:'' Id 03062012MR1’’ need > your help; how do I save the Passiflora sp and the ?caterpillars @ Pune > To: "hari lal" <[email protected]> > Cc: "efloraofindia" <[email protected]> > Date: Thursday, June 7, 2012, 3:49 PM > > > Thank you Hari lal ji for the appreciation. By evening all the > caterpillars gathered at the corner of the leaf up and below the leaf. As > you can see in the pic attached they had started voraciously eating into > the leaf. Next morning it was even worse. There is grass around my house so > I cut the leaf at the stalk and placed it within the grass. I think they > would survive there and my plant too was saved. > > On Thu, Jun 7, 2012 at 3:34 PM, hari lal > <[email protected]<http://us.mc339.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]> > > wrote: > > nice madam > > On 6/3/12, Bhagyashri > <[email protected]<http://us.mc339.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]>> > wrote: > > Dear members, > > 3rd June 2012 Pune > > 3-4 days back I saw some ? eggs on the Passiflora sp at my home. Today in > > the morning luckily I witnessed the actual hatching of these > ?caterpillars > > from these beautiful transparent ? cocoons. It was a moment to remember. > On > > the opposite leaf I saw a yellow purple insect ( I have know idea as to > > what it is) looking in this direction; and then came a ? wasp moving > within > > these caterpillars and cocoons. I have absolutely no idea about the > > relation between these 3. Will these grow big and eat away the leaves? > What > > do I do to preserve the plant and the caterpillars too? Would very much > > appreciate your help. > > -- > > Thanks and Regards > > Bhagyashri > > > > > -- > HARI SHANKAR LAL > AT-SHIV KUTIR > PO-BARA BAZAR > DIST-HAZARIBAG > PIN-825301 > JHARKHAND,INDIA > MOBILE-9431530563 > [email protected]<http://us.mc339.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]> > > > > > -- > Regards > Bhagyashri > > -- Regards Bhagyashri
