The Garden Community for Garden Lovers

Red Admiral Larva in "J" Position

DiOhio

By Diohio


Red Admiral Larva in "J" Position (Laportea canadensis)

This is a Red Admiral caterpillar in the "J" position, getting ready to pupate. I have several 'cathouses where I rear butterfly and moth caterpillars. The 'cathouse' gives them protection from the many preditors they face in the open.



Comments on this photo

 

Do you mean like a birdhouse? I'm building a bat house and a bee hotel.
lol. found a really interesting book about methods of enticing wildlife into your garden and part of the feature on mammals in the garden has plans for a bat house. It is not just a roost, but it is for rearing the young. After the heavy snow cover this endless winter, I expect we will have a lot of mosquitoes and black flies this May, and on through the summer, hence I'm giving shelter to bug eating birds and bats... Can't forget the amphibians in the pond, either. Brings another dimension to gardening that is really challenging for me, at least.

19 Mar, 2008

 

Lori, I posted a pic of one of my 'cathouses' that my husband made for me. Some people buy them. Others use a screenhouse. I do have one large bird cage that I sewed netting around and converted that into a 'cathouse' too.
Be sure you research about bat houses before you build one. They have to be right on for a bat to go in and use them. I bought one and it's not right and the bat roosed right next to it for 2 years ! The wasps eventually took over the bathouse and I took it down. I'll have to post my bat photo soon.

20 Mar, 2008

 

Bathouses are easy here! They are called shutters lol You have to be careful closing the shutters in as quite often you find the bats have roosted in them through the day. Nothing like a squeaking bat and yelling kids/hubby to wake you up just before bed!!

20 Mar, 2008

 

Very funny Maple, I can picture that. We had a bat in the house once but the kids were grown and gone so it was no big deal. I just opened the door and turned out the lights and he quickly went out the door. We always have one roosting somewhere on the house by the chimney. The one that roosted next to the bat box was under a piece of plastic (visquine) that my husband hadn't cut yet, near the roof

20 Mar, 2008



Comment on this photo


Pictures by DiOhio
162 of 561

What else?

See who else is growing Laportea canadensis.

See who else has plants in genus Laportea.

This photo is of "Nettle, Wood" in Diohio's garden

Members who like this photo

  • Gardening with friends since
    7 Feb, 2008