The other day, I noticed a hole in a Graptoveria Fred Ives leaf that was in a small pot up on a shelf, on my screened-in porch. Even though it was rather high up, I looked for snails and didn’t see any. So I started to twist off the boo boo leaf when I felt something cold and soft– it was this darn caterpillar! An Armyworm Moth larva to be precise.
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We both were lucky that I didn’t accidentally squish him, and I’m extra lucky that I found him (or her, not sure) before he tucked into another leaf. So if you see nibbles and holes on your leaves but aren’t finding evidence of snails around, look for caterpillars and signs they’ve been around, such as:
-Caterpillar ‘frass’ (Tiny droppings a bit smaller than poppy seeds)
-A lack of ‘snail-trail’ slime marks
-Leaf damage is higher up
-You have moths or butterflies that have access to laying eggs on the damaged plant
If you find a caterpillar, please be kind and remove and relocate it with care.
