Angie,

I almost missed the little guy. That is a great picture. I can't wait to get some sulfur cats around here. I am planting all sorts of Cassia this year.

Sandy

Funny thing is if you look there is 5 smaller cats in this pic see if you can find them all I didnt even see them till my daught said wow 5 cats .
Angie

Do you know which Sulphur it is? I've had the Cloudless and the Sleepy Oranges on my cassia, but I know that in Texas you get a lot more of the genus/species.

I see 4, but cannot find the 5th one.

I had lots of SOs and CSs last year, but the predators got most of them. I was able to hand raise a few. The ants are attracted to the little nodules on the plant that exude nectar.

Susan

Susan no clue what it is I have seen yellow butterflys but I have also seen orange ones to so no clue this is my first real year to have these here sure are pretty.

Hey Angie

Are you having trouble with yellow jackets too? I am having an awful time with them. Their nest must be in a neighbor's yard. I finally brought some cats in last night the carnage has been so bad, and I can't stand it any more. I've been killing the yellow jackets with the bug vacuum on the weekends, but I know I've lost a lot of cats during the week while at work. And I've had a lot of butterflies die in their chrysalis. I don't know what's going on there, but a mosquito spraying truck might have gone through the neighborhood several weeks ago.

This weekend I discovered my first Gulf Frit caterpillars on my new passionvine. I guess the yellow jackets will kill them too?

I have found a trick to keeping them off my cats.Its a hummingbird feeder that leaks they are on it all day I swat and kill them all day and they have left my caterpillars alone I to have yellow jackets it works on them too.They are so mean they run the poor bees off and hog the feeder hehehe it just makes it easyier to kill them hehehe.

I don't have yellow jackets until very late in the year, and then they come to nectar on the aster I grow. They could care less about caterpillars. I was able to photograph them extensively last year because they were so intent on feeding on the aster (tartaricus 'Jindai').

I had always heard they were aggressive but I didn't find that to be true. The aggressive ones in my garden, intent on finding cats, are those big red wasps. I am keeping a flyswatter out on the porch this year to attack them with. I know, I know, let nature be, but darned if I like those things. They fly low around all of my plants just looking for lunch or dinner.

Susan

I use to think same thing let nature do its thing until one got my grandaughter in her little pool it just stung her and now she is scared to go outside the red wasp are so aggressive Iv had the chase me I to have a swatter ready.I feel so sorry for the caterpillars they have a tuff life.

I saw a yellow jacket finishing off a Monarch caterpillar two weekends ago. I walked up too late to save the caterpillar, but I did kill the yellow jacket. I was just mortified at the sight! And something killed one of my cats while in the J formation. I suspect a yellow jacket or wasp. They are so defenseless against these bad bugs. They are just sitting ducks. I have watched these yellow jackets and wasps just flying around all the milkweed leaves, looking for caterpillars. I am going to put my hummingbird feeders back up as suggested.

I'm pretty sure your cats are phoebis philea/orange-barred sulphurs, Angie. They're large, very beautiful butterflies!
Congrats, congrats!
Sherry

Thx misssherry I sure hope they are I love the orange ones seem only the lower wing is bright orange .I have about 40 cats on 3 cassia trees now so the hummingbird leaky feeder is keeping the wasp busy.I dont put these guys in cages they dont do well caged they wont eat so I just let them stay on cassia trees and they are doing well keeping fingers crossed.

You might want to try putting something over the cats to keep them safe from those dratted wasps, grrr! You can make a "protective pouch" that ties around the limb out of netting or something that will "breathe". Just make it long enough so that the cat can feed and still pupate. It won't keep the ants out, but will protect them from the wasps. I bought some cheap netting from the fabric store and loosely stitch the ends together to form a pouch and thread string thru the end to make a draw string type closure for the pouch and tie it onto the branch. Good luck!
Mechelle

Mechelle great idea the pull string will work great .I did get rid of ant with a tiny bit of seven dust on base of tree.

Target has some wasp traps on sale this week. They are glass, but if you put it over grass, maybe they would be okay if they happened to drop. I bought 2 of them, they have a metal hanger handle and a cork stopper in the top. The bottom has an indent where the hole is for the wasp to enter and a well around the indent for the attractant (I use apple juice with a little sugar dissolved in it). Got them hung up today. Hopefully, I will get a handle on those pesky wasps!

Let us know how well they work.

I used yellowjacket traps last year. They worked--at least I trapped some of them, and then I felt bad.

I do see other kinds of wasps patrolling my gardens. Also, those darn robber flies are just awful too, taking down butterflies on the wing!

Anything that you have success with in controlling those wasps please share with all of us. I know some people don't want to interfere with nature in this way and that's fine for them but I have had it with wasps and yellow jackets and in a yard as tiny as mine I don't think I am likely to have any extensive influence on the world here. Murray

I too am declaring war on the wasps. My 3 year old was stung twice yesterday from wasps under his playscape. I haven't noticed them eating my cats yet. I do have about 6 hummingbird feeders up, maybe that has something to do with it. But my biggest predator is the spiders, the black ones with green eyes, and a white dot. I have caught numerous ones eating my cats. One also bit my 5 year old when he picked it up. So they have to go too. Boy it's amazing any cats make it to butterflies. I guess that's why they lay so many eggs.

I haven't had much luck with the wasp traps so far, had better luck chasing the wasps down with a fly swatter and knocking them down and smushing them with a well placed shoe. I am leaving the traps up just in case they do attract those pests. Will keep you guys posted on success or lack thereof.

Mechelle