[Arid_gardener] black caterpillar on aster

[Linda Drew]

The caterpillar might be a species of cutworm
that feeds on leaves, but usually these are a
dull color. Do they coil up into a circle when touched?

The ladybug larvae looks a bit like a caterpillar but
if you look closely you'll see three pair of legs on the
upper portion of the body. These are good guys that
eat other insects.

Linda Drew
Master Gardener


>From: "dolores" <intothemistic at earthlink.net>
>To: <arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu>
>Subject: [Arid_gardener] bugs and stuff
>Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 08:43:27 -0600
>
>i want to thank everyone for their help with my globe mallow problems.  i 
>think i have a better idea now of some things to try.  now i am curious 
>about some bugs in my garden.  i have these jet black inch long skinny 
>fuzzy catapillers on my native purple asters.  earlier there was an 
>infestation but i got rid of them with a little sprinkling of 
>sevin....there are these giant flying noisy helicopter bugs.  their wings 
>are rust colored their posterior are wide stripes that look like cream and 
>black.  anyone know what they are or if they are harmful or helpful?  today 
>i am installing a very small modest inexpensive water feature in my desert 
>garden(as oppossed to my regular garden that is in adobe clay since i live 
>in the valley of n.m.)  its a pile of sand from the mesa that came complete 
>with lots of native plants which i have been adding to.  its just a large 
>glazed flower pot that i have dug a cistern below and the water bubbles a 
>bit and cascades over rim down into cistern and back again.  its very low 
>keyed so as not to clash too much with the dry surroundings.  email me if 
>you want to do one and need more info.  i would also like to ask you folks 
>that are used to gardening in very xeric conditions what i should add to 
>the sand to hold more moisture when i put something in that wont take pure 
>mesa sand.  dolores
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