It’s amazing how not visiting your veggie garden for a mere three days can be long enough to let naughty little critters establish a hold on your precious edibles. I went out among the raised beds and found near skeletal broccoli and cauliflower plants.
Lifting the remaining leaf bits, I discovered the culprits. Cabbage Loopers — argh! I love caterpillars, seriously I do, but I have to draw the line on those that would eat my veggies down to nothing. Time to hand-pick them off! The total on all the plants: 37 cabbage loopers plus 4 salt marsh caterpillars and possibly 1 banded woolly bear. I moved the fuzzies to other sections of the yard — I know they’ll find plenty to eat over there, such as horseherb. The cabbage loopers, on the other hand — they get to do their part in the ecosystem as food sources for other critters. Originally I planned to put them in the bird feeder trays, but my friend Jan raises turtles, and they LOVE wiggling little caterpillars and itty bitty little wormsies. Perfect.
My son headed over to Jan’s to watch the happy turtles and snap a couple of pictures. Here are two of Jan’s turtles beginning to feast.
Sorry little caterpillars, but I need my broccoli and cauliflower! I’m hopeful that the plants will recover — they already have new leaves forming.
I’ve had several rounds of worm wars this year. The chickens have been eating good. My plants are a little holey, but they’re hanging in there.
Good to hear that your plants are surviving, Ally. I was certainly stunned at the numbers of caterpillars!