If it was an open pollinated fennel you grew (and it probably was if you used burpee seed), it just probably was a pretty poor variety or maybe just a bad year. I have grown fennel in Southern New England for years and it always worked. The trick is timing the planting. Most fennels are 75-80 days and they need to mature when the weather is cool. So, in Massachusetts (and Connecticut), direct seed them June 15th or so. They need fairly loose soil, good fertility and a good regular supply of water. Thin them to a final distance of seven or eight inches. (I would usually do an initial thinning of one inch or so, and then go back several times, eating the thinnings in salad or cooking them. They are ready by mid September when things cool off. They will hold in the field and take a pretty good frost. I thought I had some photos of some growing, but can not find them; only thing I can find is a photo of some Romanesco Fennel (italian open pollinated variety). Get some good seed. They are really a nice vegetable. Regards Bill McKay

Yea, leaf rollers and they are a real nuisance. They are also pretty hard to control by spraying. They are pretty well protected when they get rolled between leaves. I had a real problem with them in the greenhouse a couple years until I figured out how to control them. My methods are no use outside but running an exhaust fan 24/7 keeps the moths outside. They can't fly in against the fan and that's where all the fruity scents arise. They are a problem outside on grapes here as well.

You're asking for a personal opinion, but IMHO, I would dispose of them, except maybe 1 or 2 if you're interesting in raising them. Sometimes I get that crazy idea to raise a strange moth, not knowing what it will look like when it makes a cocoon and emerges. Sometimes I don't - like right now when most of the fennel is gone! LOL! If you have lots of fennel or dill to share, it's really up to you if you want to allow them to eat. If the moth you believe it is, is a small one, they probably won't eat much. Good luck and let us know how it progresses! Susan

Hi Zee! I had caterpillars on my ferns and a friend told me it was a moth and it usually comes from Florida where a lot of the ferns come from but she couldn't remember the name. They ate most of my ferns. I tried to find out what they were but have had no luck yet. Toni