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The Oz Garden Gallery

What chance does a plant have with these monsters

18 years ago

I was only trying to water the hanging baskets when this discusting thing dropped down on me, miniture snake almost would you believe 10 cms ( 4 inches ) long and as thick as my ring finger and thats the last time it will do that, and the last time it will do whats in front of it too. Only trouble with these monsters they always come in two's we looked in the four other baskets and could not find its mate..........Cheers..MM.

Caterpillar which one I dont know.

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A bunch of flowers from the garden today all pinks and reds with a touch of blue.

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This is one of Ginnybee's Day lilies that she sent me.

Looking good Jan it is a much softer pink than the one I had Thanks:

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Yellow double Gerbera

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Bev your Hollyhock is doing so much better after the rain we have had here lately.. Thanks also.

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Comments (12)

tsunami2
18 years ago
Sorry if your story wasn't suppose to be comical but i just had to laugh. That caterpillers colour makes it look freaky...

Good that you posted some lovely flower pictures to wash away that image.
rosesforme
18 years ago
Hi MM
Lovely pics especially the one of the bouquet.(the second one)
There are some lovely plants there- very colourful.
cheers
Michelle
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goldhills
18 years ago
My kids are always collecting caterpillars like that or the green ones. Love eating my impatiens. The trouble is the kids keep the caterpillars to watch them pupate.

The flowers are lovely as usual.
alisonoz_gw
18 years ago
Very pretty pictures (flower) pictures I'm glad you didn't post the "retribution" on No 1. Actually remember a neighbour once who grew a patch of ordinary impatiens in the back corner, and there would carefully transport similar caterpillars, after all they had reached a good size and she loved the butterflies, so they could chomp away a bit more but not on her best garden plants. The hollyhock is beautiful I never knew you could succeed with those in Bris? The best I've ever managed are some hardy little musk mallows.
User
Original Author
18 years ago
Well we found that monsters mate would you believe clinging to the chain on the hanging basket, its no more too. Hey I think it is a very handsome caterpillar they all are.

Alison... Bev sent me the seeds of the Hollyhock and told me to try them as she lives near the NSW/VIC border and it gets really hot there too. I planted the seeds last December three different colours came up, I popped the little seedlings into the garden bed in February, they struggled a bit then with the heat but finally started to grow as the weather cooled down. The caterpillars, beetles and these huge bugs stripped the tallest plant so it didn't flower at all but thankfully since the rain they have all gone, you are welcome to seed so you can try yourself if you want.Cheers...MM.
User
18 years ago
Lovely flowers MM. I particularly like that gorgeous hollyhock.
BTW your monster is the caterpillar of the Impatiens Hawk Moth.
Cheers,
Dee.
ginnybee
18 years ago
That is or was a huge catapiller MM, its gone to the happy hunting ground I think, love your flowers in vase just beautiful, I am glad the daylilly did so well,we can't keep Gerbera's alive here, the Hollyhock is lovely mine I grew last year are in bud again but have some rust I don't believe in sprays so will wait & see how they do
Jan.
Kiwi_oz
18 years ago
Amazing caterpiller, lovely flowers.
Heather
User
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks everyone I cut so many roses this afternoon, I reckon the caterpillars say to each other
lets go to to this place and have a feed, Gosh all shapes colours and sizes I cant win.

Dee Thanks so much for that name I did a bit of googling and found out its the "Theretra oldenlandiae"
one of the 850 species of the Hawk Moth.

So glad you all like my flowers ...I like them too...Cheers..MM.
barbarah_70
18 years ago
Wonderful flower photos once again.
As for the caterpillar, they put me in a quandry, I never know what to do with them, after all they do turn into something so beautiful. However I don't appreciate the damage they do, I found one of my Calla Lilies eaten totally away this morning.
greencroc
18 years ago
Tried Hollyhocks once,failed but aren,t they lovely,you do a lovely job MM,greencroc.
margaret43
18 years ago
Wow !!!! What a monster. Glad you found his partner.
They might be handsome but I guess our plants wouldn't think so.
All your flowers look great, especially your arrangement in the vase.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers, Margaret.

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