I found these caterpillars in the garden yesterday - they're quite clearly in training for the next Olympics, which are being held a couple of miles from here. The synchronised leaf stripping event. Not bad - though the ones on the bottom need to get their tails up a bit more if they're to be in with a chance. I could wish they'd waited a bit longer to move into the area though - my garden is not the Olympic Village and they're polishing off what little is left of my poor roses. Oh well, sport has to be encouraged amongst the young, I suppose ...
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Wow that's some teamwork. Hope the plant survived!
Ah the duality of this post is hurting my head!!! I love the funniness of the catepillars and them 'training', I have never witnessed synchronised leaf stripping before BUT damn them I hate them all for eating your roses.
Have you tried sprays with essential oils? For instance, there are a lot of citrus-oil based broad-spectrum insecticides out lately. If you can't find them, surely in Italy you can get some great-quality orange oil; mix several drops in a teaspoon of brandy or some other liquor, add about 4 oz. water, shake, and spray. dunno if it wd work on those determined caterpillars, but worth a try. Unless you want to see the butterflies...
We had leaf cutter bees on our roses earlier this year which had the same effect - and were amazing to watch, they sipped through the leaves so fast. But at least they left most of the leaf intact.
Do you know what butterfly will eventually result? The caterpillars are really pretty, it's a great photo.
Wow! That's a lot of caterpillars on just two leaves. I hope your roses survive after this synchronized leaf stripping performance!
Oh man, I sure hate to see those leaves get chewed up and spit out like that! Ouch. That's gotta hurt to see. But those little critters sure are fascinating to look at and watch.
Oh these are the ones that strip the rose of its leaves if I don't notice them and pick them all off!
omg! What an event!
I hate those caterpillars. I have (mostly) stopped growing roses because of them. I don't use any chemicals, so resorted to hand picking them, but they kept coming back. They are a pretty colour however.
Cute post! They do look as if they're in training.
Your garden is so large! I have a small one and grow herb. I often enjoy having herb tea.
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Oh! I couldn't agree with you more. In fact I am myself in a process of encouraging sports amongst the mealy bugs, the squirrels, the parrots, aphids...And they are enjoying every moment of it, though at a pretty small cost to most of my vegetables and fruits.
How can a post be so funny and so sad at the same time?! Do you have any idea what those babies will become?
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