Need help!

18 years ago

I have seen this butterfly or moth in my yard a few times and have been unable to id it. It is a small black bf or moth and the wings are tipped with white. It is about one inch big and is a slow flier. For some reason I am thinking it is some sort of falcate. Can anyone help? Also, I had problems with gf cats turning black and mushy. The man at the nursery said it was some sort of virus that the cats spread to each other and he told me to remove all the cats. I just went ahead and removed both vines. I believe they were passiflora ringens but not sure. These vines were aggressive and I am still pulling up runners from out in my yard. I replaced those vines with the passi. caeruela and it had one cat on it. I found that cat yesterday and it died of the same thing and was all black and mushy. Does anybody have any knowledge of what might be happening and what I can do to stop this? Could the trellis carry the virus? Also I had a monarch butterfly that had recently hatched but it couldn't fly. The tips of the wings were bent one way. I trimmed the wings so that they were both straight and low and behold he flew away. It was pretty cool. Hopefully he/she survived. Has anybody seen the you-tube video about repairing monarch wings? It is vey good. I may need to get some glue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah0SBALIc0o

Thanks

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

susanlynne48
18 years ago
Zebra_lover, so sorry to hear about the problem with your GFs. Don't know what could be causing it. Is P. ringens a red-flowering passi? I know some of the red ones are toxic to GFs.

The white-tipped black moth is something that Sandy in OKC discovered last year in her garden. Perhaps that is what you have been seeing in your yard, too?? Maybe she'll check in here and help you out with a photo.

Susan
zebra_lover
Original Author
18 years ago
Actually I never saw it flower. Cats would eat the vine and get almost to 5th instar in some instances but all would turn black and mushy. So I don't think it was a red-flowering vine since they lived so long. I do have incarnata and corky-stem in the back that cats are feasting on and there appear to be no problems with those cats. I am just frustrated. Thanks Susan
Related Professionals
Baltimore Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Waterloo Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Allentown Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Clearlake Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Somerset Landscape Contractors · Hagerstown Landscape Contractors · Lawrenceburg Landscape Contractors · Grand Rapids Landscape Contractors · Hilo Landscape Contractors · Magnolia Home Builders · Longview Home Builders · Webster Home Builders · Eau Claire Home Builders · Orange County Home Builders · Gallup Home Builders
butterflymomok
18 years ago
Zebra_Lover,

I hope someone can address your GF cat problem. It sounds like it could be soil borne if your cats in the other area of the garden are ok.

I am posting a picture of the White-tipped Black Moth. I think it's quite a beauty. We may never see it here again, but if you are in south Texas or Florida, you are in the areas where it normally is found.

{{gwi:460380}}

Sandy
tdogmom
18 years ago
It sounds to me like your caterpillars may have ingested the Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus which is a nasty thing, indeed! You can google this one to get more info. It is one of those viruses that can infect all sorts of arthropods and they do get that gooey, black, mucky-ish-ness to them. I'm so sorry!
susanlynne48
18 years ago
Ooh, Sandy, glad you posted your photo of the moth! I will have to be on the lookout for it this year.

I just finished a tour of the garden, and things are coming up everywhere. My amsonia is getting ready to bloom - hoorah! This is it's second year, so that's a real bonus - an early bloomer! My zizia aptera is about to burst into bloom as well. I have several milkweeds coming up, too. The ageratum houstonianums are sprouting, and I can't wait to see them in fall, loaded with butterflies and moths. I need to upload my moth images from last year. I have so many.

My helichrysum made it thru the winter - I am shocked! So did the Dusty Miller. I thought these things were annual! LOL!

Sherry, if we do find the NPV on our host plants, how do you remedy the situation - new plants? I'd be interested to know and I bet Zebra-lover would also. I did have a problem with something on the milkweeds last year, but am not sure what it was OE or NPV. I hope I don't have a problem this year.

Susan
tdogmom
18 years ago
I know that ultra-violet light and bleach are supposed to kill the virus...