I really think you will have fewer butterflies around if the host plants aren' there. It makes sense since the females are around to lay the eggs on the host plant and of course the males come for the females and the cycle continues. The females continue to lay for a period of time so they will hang around the entire time. If you eliminate the host plants, then they will nectar and move on. I am not saying that you won't have them but the caterpillars are really an important part of the life cycle. Caterpillars carry no diseases that are harmful to humans (butterfly cats at least). If I handle the spiny ones (like Zebra Longwings), I might get a little irritation on my skin but its minor. I just know which ones not to bother. Moth caterpillars can sting (I guess that is what you say) and you probably have those around if you have wooded areas or trees. I find them when I am weeding. My rule is if its fuzzy or spiny, don't touch.

Susan, Thanks for linking the thread. I enjoyed reading it and the articles linked within the thread too. Everything they said....I heartily second. This certainly is an epic year. You might remember way back in March when I was commenting on the huge abundance of moths (oh, how I wish I had known they were cutworm moths then---I would have been running around spraying and swatting them) and I compared their numbers to something from a "horror movie". Nothing has changed, but now the scales have tipped a bit so that there's a lot fewer destructive moths here and a lot more beautiful butterflies. So, the horror movie has abated and the beautiful butterfly population has taken over. Every plant I have in bloom that appeals to butterflies or moths of any type is covered by them all day and evening. They almost are fighting over the blossoms, or at least standing in line waiting to get to them. Our wasp population is still so low it is almost non-existent, so I expect the high populations to continue. I've only seen a couple of red wasps this entire spring, and no black wasps or yellow jackets. However, a couple of weeks ago the small predatory/parasitic wasps starting showing up. I was relieved to see them and the lacewings, but wish they'd been here two months earlier. The bee population seems lower too, but I had a lot of them when the fruit trees were in bloom and when the hollies were blooming. Otherwise, though, I am not seeing many bees. I'm not having any pollination issues in the garden, so there are enough pollinators for that to occur as usual. Just name any butterfly that a person might see in southern OK, and I am seeing them here. I'm even seeing some I almost never, ever see. Furthermore, they seem extraordinarily friendly. What's up with that? I cannot count the times I've had butterflies come land on my shirt, my arm, my head, my face...or even fly right into my mouth while I'm talking this year. I just don't recall that happening much at all in the past. I'm also seeing caterpillars I've never seen before, and I have no idea what most of them are. I had a cherry hornworm in the garden on Sunday. I don't know why it was there. I don't think there's anything in my garden that's a host for it, but our woodland has oodles of wild cherry trees as understory plants. I removed it from the garden, and put it under a tree on the edge of the woods. The cutworm population here is dropping, I'm happy to say, but I still find one now and then or see one of the moths. I am seeing ever-increasing numbers of sphinx moths of all kinds---not just the usual ones we always see, but others that I don't recognize. I believe your assessment that conditions in OK mirror those in Texas is a valid one and I wholeheartedly agree. Of course, I'm surrounded by Texas on three sides, so that would not be surprising. I've been very concerned about the swallowtails. None of their cats has taken one single bite of my parsley yet, which is planted more for them than for us. In the last two weeks, I've seen 2 or 4 swallowtails a week, but prior to that, I was seeing maybe 1 per week if any at all. Those darned checkered whites and cabbage whites are still everywhere and I hate having them here, but they're really the only cats causing damage in my garden other than the climbing cutworms. I think we're going to have a wonderful summer in terms of butterflies. I worry we'll have too many moth cats though. I haven't seen any SVB moths yet, but am expecting them any time. If ever there was a year to cover squash plants with floating row covers for as long as possible, this is it. I've linked a report on lepidoptera observations made in southeastern OK, not too far from me. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Report on Southern OK Lepidoptera Population

Jake, if you live in a mild climate (you should always let us know your general location when asking for pest or plant advice), make sure that you remove all of the end-of-the-year garden debris from the site. In warmer climates, Grays can over winter in the pupal stage, usually on or very near their food source. So housekeeping can help in removing that very first generation, at least. In colder locations, these little butterflies migrate in from the warm climes, often seen in late summer for the first time. They will lay eggs and the cycle begins. As with all caterpillars, it's important to identify the larvae while still young, as that's when the Bacillus is most effective. By the way, have you noticed that ants will 'tend' and protect these caterpillars? They get rewarded for their efforts by a sweet 'nectar' that the caterpillars produce along their back.

If you can take pictures, you can almost always have any caterpillar identified in a flash right here in the gardenweb. Learning the identity of what you find munching away on your plants is key to your decision making process of whether to let them be or not. Your description of the behavior of your pests is what led Jean to reasonably suggest that you have Fall webworms without seeing an image. Time of year, as well as the location of these webby nests were important clues. Next, you need to learn about caterpillar host plants. Many moths and butterfly adults will only deposit their eggs on certain plants. Thus, identifying the PLANT becomes important. There is nothing wrong whatsoever in sacrificing a host plant to support a caterpillar species. If you visit the Butterfly Forum, you will find a large community of people who plan and plant for that very reason. Many of the folks over there take it to the next step and collect caterpillars of favored butterflies and moths to rear in the safety of cages. If you visit that forum, and I suggest that you do, be SURE to read up in the FAQ section first, as many of your questions will be answered there. Butterfly caterpillars don't typically 'nest'. When they reach a predetermined size, they begin a occupation process which usually means the formation of a chrysalis. Moths make cocoons out of silk. The large 'nests' that you are witnessing are normal for a very few species...like tent caterpillars and webworms.