There is another columbine that is not a Texas native, but does well in our climate. It's a dark purple and is called 'Winkie.' It is more compact, the flowers face upwards, and the foliage seems a little thicker and looks nice longer. Quite a few years ago I heard Manual Flores say that a purple columbine had been discovered in Afghanistan growing in a similar climate as that of Texas. I've always wondered if Winkie is that columbine. Perhaps someone in the trade like David would know. The nice thing about having Winkie (for me anyway) is that it will cross with Texas Gold and you get all sorts of intresting color combinations and shapes like these, and more, as columbines combine and come up from seeds very easily. I purposely don't mulch the bed they are in so they can seed easily. They even come up from between the bricks beside the bed. All of the above are crosses of Texas Gold and Winkie. I don't have the Texas red one. I remember Lowe's had Winkie last year and probably other garden centers have it too.

Your caterpillars are similar to many in the noctuid moth family. Pick them off and discard or use products containing Bt ( Bacillus thuringiensis). When using Bt, the caterpillars will continue to feed, temporarily.

Any idea what might be eating all the leaves on my Columbine plants. I first thought it might have been rabbits but now I believe it is some type of insect or bug. They only eat the leaves and no stems or flowers. Any idea what it might be and best way to control it? I thought possibly Sow bugs?

look at the stems very close... and they may still be on the plant. .. if so ... they are the EXACT color of the leaves and stems ... most plants can releaf.. and recover .. leave them be.. and see if they can ... [as sah said] i dont think of Cs as long lived plants... i almost wonder if last years didnt die.. and you have some new seedlings .. which would be smaller as you note yours ... you dont mention what kind you ha e.. but the foo foo ones.. often done come true from seed ... but genetics devolve to more plainer types ... ken