I guess this forum is not as active as it was this summer. Please forgive my crabbiness if you end up reading my post on the gallery side after all. I was in a pickle, not knowing what to do. I decided to leave the cats alone.

Sue

Sue,

I read both of your posts, but I don't know what I'd do in your situation. Knowing that this is an introduced species adds an interesting point to the issue. I'd contact your local lep society and ask about the moth. The caterpillar is quite colorful. I'd want to raise at least one also. I wish Ladobe could respond to this. He'd know what to do. Maybe Rhizo will respond or bananasinohio.

I keep thinking about all the introduced species that have gotten out of control such as English Sparrows and Starlings. And then there are the plants. I'm not for sure that there has been a "good" introduction.

I know that you want to make a responsible decision, and that can only happen once you have all the facts.

Sandy

Thanks for the reply, Sandy. Two of the cats have found my other plant, which looks like it is about to bloom. I just got these from a friend, and assumed they wouldn't bloom until next year. I didn't realize they are fall bloomers. I imagine by morning, this plant will be stripped of its buds.

I don't know if we have a lep society, but I'll try to find out. I'll call the County Extension Office.

Thanks again,
Sue

If they're here, they're here and not much we can do about introductions. Take the Cabbage White butterfly for example. Probably much more prolific than your leafy spurge hawkmoths. IMHO, I'd raise them if at all possible. If you only have 3, they're probably not going to take over like the CW's have done. Personally, I enjoy the CW's as well, and they use my cleome as a host plant.

Have you raised other hawk moths? I find them very interesting and am raising about a dozen walnut sphinx right now.

Susan

Well, I ended up letting the cats do their thing, and observed them 2 or 3 times a day. They went from one plant to the other, and then one by one disappeared. Either they got eaten by birds or turned into chrysalises.

I ended up also posting about the cats in the Cottage Garden Forum where I frequent, and someone there informed me today, that if I'm growing leafy spurge, it's a noxious weed illegal to grow in NE.

In my early research I had read that the moth cats feed on other spurges, as well, and from the description didn't think that's what I had. I did further research today, and came away unsure, so, since the cats were gone, went ahead and pulled up the plants. They had quite the root system, so maybe they were the weed.

I can take comfort that I have two or three types of hummingbird type moths that frequent my garden in the evenings and mornings. This evening, I saw bunches of them! They like the same flowers hummingbirds do, and more. I am also enjoying a number of butterflies in my yard in the afternoons. Lately, I've been seeing Painted Ladies, Monarchs, and Sulphers. I have also been seeing skippers, but not as many in the last week or so.

I've only raised a couple cats of butterflies when my kids were little. I did get into observing cats and watching them grow on my rue and dill this year.

Thanks for your reply,
Sue

What a bummer to learn that your plant was illegal! Sounds like you have a great choice of plants, though, if you have lots of hummers and HB moths.

It's fun to watch the cats as they grow, change, and pupate. Most likely your hawk moth cats have pupated in the ground, so you may see some of the moths around next spring.

Sandy

I agree with Sandy - sphinx moths do form a bare pupae underground. I'd watch closely around your plant and it will probably emerge in late spring next year.

Susan