this is Araujia sericifera, called Mothplant or Cruel Plant in New Zealand. I accidently ate it while pregnant and got very ill, I had a vicious rash all over my body and was sick. I do hope it didn't do anything to the baby. I saw it at the local grocer shop as Chayote (we call it Choko) but it was Mothplant. It grows heaps in my garden. Do not eat, it's really awful. It looks like Chayote but Chayote is lighter green and heavier in weight and has a solid core. Be really careful, I felt sick for 3 days and thought it's the pregnancy, but it was this poisonous plant i had

Pardon my ignorance. It was listed as a wildflower in one of the books I read. I can understand how you feel though. I lived in Hawaii for 3 years, and there were quite a few native animals(and I believe plants as well) who were made extinct or almost extinct from alien animals, insects, etc. Their laws as to what can come onto the islands now, as such as animals(no snakes allowed, for example) is very understandable. However, I found out recently that this Cleome(ironically, a native of Hawaii) was born from seeds my one neighbor gave to my other neighbor(who lives right behind the mailbox), who gave them to her kids to plant in the yard, and they must have scattered the seeds there. It's a beautiful flower, and it supposedly attracts hummingbirds, from what I have read. I've seen more in other people's gardens here and there, and I recently spotted a garden center selling them. I think they're annuals, so I really am not sure how much of a threat they could be.

Sorry for the delayed response, and thank you for replying. The critter was most likely hanging around aphids, as my peas were covered in them by the time I pulled them... I saw no obvious caterpillar damage, but the foliage was pretty dense. I'd love to know what it was (I had to get rid of it) for next time...

You might want to return to that other forum where you posted this question....just so that the others know that this isn't a beneficial critter but a potential pest. I wouldn't try to irradicate them, by the way. Doing so may result in a bigger problem than you already have. There are plenty of predators out there that will help you keep these down to a managable number. The reason you see so many of them on your zinnia is because that's where they hatched. As soon as they develop wings, they'll disperse. Get rid of the little ones as you find them, though. Brush them off into a bucket of soapy water.