I don't have a picture of them, but I've seen them, Susan. They look sort of like greenish yellow unripe tomato seeds, and they're laid on the undersides of the leaves right on the edges - they look like they're not very well attached. At least that's the way my tersa eggs looked - I sure hope that's what yours are!
MissSherry

The eggs are all over - on the top, on the underside, and some are in clusters of 2 or 3. They are indeed Tersas. I found a few hatchlings this morning! What am I going to do with all of them. I know there's not enough food. I posted another message about this. I think they also eat Hamelia patens or buttonbush (can't remember what, I need to look it up) and I do have a lot of both of those plants. I may try moving some of them to it to see if they'll eat it. My plants are just absolutely covered with the eggs.

So, it appears they will eat the cultivars in the New Look and the Butterfly series. I didn't think they would.

Susan

Susan,Tersa cats have fake eyes and look like snakes,right?I think they will also eat Catalpa leaves.

Yes, Dan, you're right. I'd forgotten that one. I raised them about 4 years ago on pentas, but I may look around for some catalpa leaves. While I don't have one, there's tons of catalpa trees around my neighborhood.

Have you raised them before? I usually get both the green and brown form - well, last time I did. They consume a LOT of foliage.

I planted about 4 pentas in each of two containers. The Butterfly series pentas is about 12" tall and very full. The New Look is a more dwarf cultivar, only about 6" tall. For some reason, it hasn't done as well as the Butterfly series. What's odd to me is that the one pot of New Look is mostly light pink and dark pink. The BS is red. I thought they only ate the red ones, but looks like they go for other colors, too.

I may go over to a nursery I shop to see if they have any - they don't spray their plants. But, if there are lots of them (and it looks like there may be) I may try them on the hamelia patens, Joe Pye Weed, and button bush also.

I love them. I can add another moth species to my backyard list now:

Manduca quinquemaculata
Manduca sexta
Walnut Sphinx (found anther one today)
Snowberry Clearwing
Nessus Sphinx
Eumorpha Achemon
Plebeian Sphinx
Tersa Sphinx

Wow - amazing what you can get in a metro backyard! Now if I just get some white-lined before the year is over!

Susan

Wow, Susan,

That list is incredible! If my pentas were doing well this year, I wouldn't mind having some of the Tersa Sphinx moth eggs, but they haven't taken off. They are still very small. Maybe they are the New Look variety. BFs seem to love them, though, and nectar on them all the time. Especially the PVs, like you said in one of the discussions.

The big GF you gave me has pupated! I hope I get a whole yard full, just like you have.

Maybe next year I'll get back into raising some moths. This year has just about done me in with getting the BF garden together and raising BFs.

The garden was a busy place this morning. I was out with the push mower, as my riding mower is out of commission, again (the third time this season). And as I passed the lantana, the BFs would just ascend in clouds! I just wanted to stop and watch them. I'ts one of those glorious BF days. But it's a horrible mowing day:-( I didn't get it all done, so I have to finish this evening when it gets cooler. My knees don't like the push mower.

Susan, I bet your yard is hopping today.

Sandy

Sandy, I wish I had checked the tersa eggs and given you a couple at least. I wasn't sure they were actually tersas until I saw a few hatch, though, and I wouldn't have wanted to give you something "bad", you know. If you want a few eggs, though, I can probably send you some if you don't think the heat would get to them.

Congrats on the GF. You know, the next day after you came I went out to check the passion vines again and there are just TONS of GFs. They were doing a bit of hiding the day you were here. I guess because of the storm. Anyway, I am going to have to move some to the other passion vine cultivar I have because they are just all over the P. ceurulea, loving it much better than the incarnata 'Incense'.

Yes, the pentas have been heavily nectared on this year by the PVs especially. I love seeing the PVs, though, because they are much less shy than the BSTs, GSTs, and Tigers. The Tigers stay in the trees in the backyard. The BSTs just swoop thru and are gone before the blink of an eye. The PVSs will happily nectar and play with the GFs for a long time.

I saw your post on the OK forum and hope someone responds to it re: the lawnmower. You're such an itty bitty thing, I can't imagine you behind a push mower! LOL!

Have fun with the butterflies!

Susan

Susan,

Thanks for the compliment. I've been in Weight Watchers since January, and over the past 2 years I've lost 46 pounds. I have Fibromyalgia and bad knees so the weight got to where I couldn't carry it anymore.

It's taking me two days and 4 sessions to get the lawn mowed, as it is. And I'll probably pay for it tomorrow. But, I just keep chugging the water, and taking lots of breaks.

I wouldn't be surprised to get some Tersa's up here, as I have all the plants, so enjoy what you have. Thanks for the offer, though.

I read you have osteoarthritis and back problems. It helps to keep our minds off our ailments, yes? I am happiest when I am outside doing something in the garden.

Sandy

Congrats on the Tersas, Susan. Sounds like you've had a wonderful butterfly/moth year. :) Sorry, to here about your bad luck with the Monarchs. I've been lucky so far. Seen any Queens? I've got lots of Queens right now. It's been fun. I just seem to be working too much this summer. :(

Sorry to hear about your lawnmower, Sandy. With all of the rains, it's been hard to keep up with the mowing. So thrilled that you're having fun with all of your butterflies and cats. :)

Sandy, yes, I do have OA and DDD. I had back surgery in June 04 and it worked wonders. I just garden thru the pain because I just refuse to give it up - it brings me such joy, and you're right, I forget about it when I'm active.

I've gained a lot of weight because I had to take a hormone inhibitor for awhile (breast cancer). Then I had something similar to a brain aneurysm and had to have surgery to fix that. Between 2001 and 2004, I had so many surgeries it wasn't funny. I think the last one kind of took it out of me. I probably had 10 surgeries during that time. So, I began to butterfly garden. Not just garden for flowers. For some reason, that touches me in ways that "regular" gardening did not. I think it is the cycle of life. I know this forum is not to discuss health issues, but if anyone here has them, I highly recommend butterfly and moth gardening. It is good for the soul.

Linda, you've probably been a very busy girl this summer, huh? We haven't heard a lot from you, and whenever you post, I enjoy it so much!

I haven't seen any Queens yet, but I'm out in the morning and in during the heat of the afternoon, so they could have stopped by and I just haven't seen them yet. I'm squishing milkweed bugs and beetles daily at a rate of about 10 or 12 per day. They are really bad this year. I have some pods on the milkweed (tropical) and I really want to let them mature so I'll have my own seed next year. Children of Tdog, so to speak! I also have a pod on my cynanchum laeve, but it is the biggest milkweed pod I've ever seen. It is about 4" in diameter - real fat - and about 5" long. It curves from the largest part to a point at the bottom, and looks like a drawing of a humongous teardrop. I'd never seen pods that big on it. The flowers are drawing numerous small butterflies (and the milkweed bugs and beetles, unfortunately).

I have to recommend a new plant to everyone, if you don't have it. It's Desmodium illinoiense. It is in the pea family, and I actually just threw some seed in the pot with my wild cherry. It's about 2' tall now, the leaves are very delicate, and it has tiny blooms just like button bush. The butterflies LOVE it. Next year, it will probably get bigger and have more blooms, but I'm very excited about this one.

This afternoon, I'm going on a pentas hunt at the nurseries. I'll bring the plants home and start dousing and cleaning them, and hold them back while the tersas eat the other plants. Hopefully, any chemicals will have been leached out of them by then.

It was so funny. When Sandy was here the other day, the Gulf Frits were all over the passion vines laying eggs, and then a beautiful Red Admiral came and layed eggs on the False Nettle, too. I couldn't have asked for a better performance from the butterflies for a friend from Tulsa!!

Susan

Susan,

Are you sure you didn't orchestrate that show?!!

Thanks for sharing about your health. I know when I was sharing, I felt kind of vulnerable. But, it's a fact of life. You had quite a spell of health issues. I'm glad you are on the other side of most of it.

It's hard when treatment for conditions causes the weight gain. I put on my weight when I started taking meds for the Fibro. I put on 50 pounds in a little over a year. I felt better painwise, so I accepted it. That was about 12 years ago. Until I got off the earlier meds, I couldn't have lost weight if I had wanted to. So much for that!

Anyway, back to BF gardening, the BFs were humming yesterday. I have lots of Cabbage Whites laying eggs on some weed in my lawn. I have no idea what the weed is, but I won't be digging it up. When I used to grow broccoli, I hated the little worms, but, now it's perfectly OK for them to be eating the little weeds. The leaves look a little like tiny violet leaves, but I know it's not violets, cause it never gets any bigger.

I have Monarchs eating me out of house and home! 4 are pupating this morning, and about a dozen more are almost ready. I have over 30 in the house right now. The eggs I gathered all hatched, and the monarchs have really done well. I am not finding more eggs, but I'm not looking for them, as I can't manage any more cats than I have right now. I'm still finding an occasional cat on the MW. The cats are looking really healthy. I have been destroying any cat that has any spots or blurring of lines. Hopefully, I will release healthy BFs.

Linda, it was good to hear from you! Is the water receding in Kingfisher? I know it has been very hard on the people in Coffeyville, and I'm sure it will be hard on the people in Oklahoma.

BTW, Susan, how is your sister doing? I have been thinking about her, and forgot to ask about her on Sunday.

Take care friend,

Sandy

Susan, I didn't realize you'd had all those surgeries and you have all those ailments! Congrats on losing all the weight, Sandy - it takes a lot of "want to" to quit overeating and lose it! Now if I could just convince myself I don't like chocolate candy and desserts, maybe I could lose 20 pounds!
Speaking of butterflying through pain, I had the periodontal surgery yesterday morning. When I left the doctor's office, I looked like I had been in a fight, what with the left side of my face all swollen. And boy was it painful - it still is today, but amazingly less so! Anyway, I just kept doing my usual butterflying chores yesterday - it doesn't make the pain go away to lay in bed does it?
Nothing helps me physically and emotionally more than butterfly gardening - it's better than physical or psychological therapy.
I'm so glad you're both having good butterfly years! Considering the conditions in OK, I'm sort of surprised!
MissSherry

Misssherry,
I'm glad you came through! Lying down and giving in to your pains doesn't work for us, huh!

BF gardening is better than depression meds. It does a body good and soothes the soul.

Have a great day.

Sandy

It sure doesn't help to lay down on the job, does it? My worst problem this summer has been migraines. They start in the middle of the night when I'm sleeping, so by the time I wake up, it's full blown, and too late to take medicine. I just get up anyway, rub my neck and head down with Bengay, and go about my business. I tolerate them much better than when I first started getting them after the brain surgery. But it's getting a little tiresome to have one about 4 days out of the week! Hopefully they will subside soon.

I went to the nursery (Precure; don't know if there is one in Tulsa or not) to see if they had more pentas. Lo and behold they had tons of them and they were half price. I bought 5 huge plants, so the tersas hopefully will have enough food!! I love this nursery. The lady I spoke with knew exactly what tersas were. They don't spray their plants, and I've been buying all of my plants that I can purchase locally at this nursery ever since Linda recommended them.

MissSherry - I hate dental work; it freaks me out! I don't know how you did it, but I guess you do what you have to regardless. I'm glad it's over and wish you the speediest recovery. It's not fun to have health issues.

Let's not discuss weight, please, oh, please! LOL! Until I was in my mid to late 40s, I never had to worry about it. Could eat what I wanted and not be concerned about gaining an ounce. My doctor says it's harder for people who are skinny all their lives and then suddenly put on weight like I did. I agree. I just can't reconcile not being able to eat when I want, what I want. One of these days........sigh.....

Susan

That must be horrible to have that many migraines a week, Susan! I've had them in the past with the aura - the flashing lights and the blind spot - especially when I was first pregnant with my second child. It was sure awful - my headaches would be so bad I'd have a bloodshot eye! Terrible!
I found some little bitty tersa cats on my white pentas! I've got more pentas without cats on them, so I should have enough to feed them. They're so cute!
MissSherry

Susan,I've never seen Tersas here but I think we're in their range.My neighbor has a small catalpa tree so I will go check it for cats.When I lived near Tulsa,my catalpa tree was completely defoliated by catalpa sphinx cats!

I bet the tersas are within your range, Dan. Try putting out pots of annual pentas. That is their favorite food. Not saying they won't use anything else, but they really LOVE pentas, especially the red ones.

Yes, catalpa trees are known to be stripped completely by catalpa sphinx cats. Lots of fishermen use them for bait (cutting them in half - I couldn't do it!). I think they are really cool cats and adult moths. But I read a comment elsewhere that someone thought they were rather plain and unattractive! OMG - I couldn't believe it. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I've always thought they were gorgeous. When my sphinx moths emerge, I always let them crawl onto my finger so I can hold them up and look at them face to face. I love their big, big eyes, feathery antennae, furry little faces and bodies, and everything about them. If I could keep one as a pet, I would, but their lifespan is so short, so I photograph and release them to the wild. My yard is definitely wild. I keep it that way for all my critters. I'll probably get in trouble with the city one of these days! LOL!

Susan

I brought in 3 little tersa cats last night, Susan. I plan on offering them some buttonbush and catalpa leaves - I hope they'll eat them!
MissSherry

I went ahead and brought in some eggs today, MissSherry. I can't find any of the cats I saw before on the Pentas, so they may be predator food. I noticed that mama Tersa was back to lay eggs on the new Pentas, too. We'll see how this goes. I don't like bringing in eggs because I don't have as good a luck with them, but in order to save some of them, I'm gonna try it.

Susan

I know what you mean, Susan. I saw more frass on pentas when I went out to the garden earlier, so when it cools down, I'll go get the others - they blend in so totally with the leaves at this stage.
MissSherry

I brought in more eggs and leaves today in case some of the tersas hatch. Cross your fingers for me, MissSherry. It did seem like there were more chewed leaves on my big plant this morning. Do they hide during the day? I tried to check way down in the bottom of the foliage and pot, but didn't find anything. However, the pot is so full, it's hard to really scope out the stems and stuff very well.

Will keep you posted on how the eggs do.

Susan

MissSherry - I sat on the ground for an hour and a half this morning, checking my pentas, leaf by leaf. I found 4 hatchlings and brought them in.

I have so many predators this year, and for some reason, they are finding the tersa babies and chowing down. I have a lot of eggs collected as well, so we'll see how that goes. Nothing hatched yet, but many eggs are turning dark.

Susan

When you get lots of cats, Susan, unfortunately their predators will follow! :(
I found a late instar tersa cat on buttonweed in a weedy bed in my garden - its frass is huge, as big as a much bigger moth cat! I'm going to go get it now, and raise it on buttonweed. So far, the other pentas eating tersas haven't eaten the buttonbush leaves I put in their cage - maybe the buttonweed eater will!
MissSherry

I found out why the brown tersa cat's frass is so big - it belongs to a bigger green tersa cat! :)
{{gwi:334939}}
MissSherry

Great photos, MissSherry. The year I had tersas, I had both colors, too. I'm going to have to check on buttonweed - don't know what it looks like.

Sometimes when the posts lists of host plants, they list them in order of favorite foods. I think pentas are at the top of the list, and then on downward is the buttonweed and other hosts. I finally figured that out....duh.

Let me know how your experiment is going with them. Althought I went and bought 5 pentas (the tall ones), mama Tersa has layed more eggs on them as well. Just can't get ahead of the game, you know! LOL!

Susan

Yes I do know, Susan!
I think they prefer pentas over buttonweed, too, since I find a lot more cats on mine than on buttonweed - still, buttonweed is everywhere and undoubtedly the principle host plant before we all started planting pentas from Africa.
The big green one has disappeared, leaving BIG, slightly liquidy frass behind - I assume it went 'underground' in the terrarium with dirt in it that I put in the cage. I'll probably be seeing him/her before winter gets here!
MissSherry

Oh, I'm so excited for you. Please post a photo of him when he emerges! I didn't find any more cats when I checked my plants today, but I swear the female adult is still laying eggs! She must have an endless supply, or I have a lot of Tersas flying a night! LOL!

Is buttonweed in the verbena family?

Susan

No, it's in the madder/rubiaceae family - the only other things we grow in that family that I know of are pentas, gardenias and buttonbush. The brown one is growing quickly on the buttonweed, and the smaller ones on the pentas are growing like weeds - they sure do grow quickly!!
MissSherry

A tersa sphinx moth emerged this morning - I'll release it tonight. Those tersas sure go through their life stages quicker than the silk moths!
I got his or her picture - I don't know how to tell males from females -
{{gwi:504378}}
MissSherry

I have to agree that Tersa Moths are quite beautiful. Thanks for sharing the picture.

Magnificent! Looks like a stealth.

Edna