Funny that you posted this today, when I have just been out in my yard searching the Plantain for Buckeye signs! I've only ever found 1 Buckeye cat in my yard and it was on a Butterfly Bush. I hope that you do find cats, and good luck to you! I have a Snapdragon Vine (Maurandella antirrhiniflora) that is doing fairly well. Do you think they might lay on it?
Angie

It's great that you found a buckeye caterpillar on anything at this time of year! I usually only find them in the fall, when the Agalinis is blooming or about to - so far, it's the only plant I've found them on. I've got wild petunias/Ruellia caroliniana growing in my garden and roadside, but they haven't used them. Even if they don't, they're a beautiful plant, so they'll definitely stay.

That's interesting that you found one on a butterfly bush, Angie. Years ago, there was a poster on this forum, I think her forum name was Bandit?, and she lived in Alabama close to Birmingham. She found a buckeye caterpillar on her butterfly bush, too. That's the only other time I've heard of butterfly bush being used that way.

Sherry

Well Sherry, it was a Nanho Blue Butterfly Bush, and I didn't assume that it has hosted on it. I thought that it might have been on a walkabout trying to find a place to pupate. They don't host on butterfly bush, do they? I do usually have some Plantain growing in the yard, but I have never seen any cats on it.

They're not supposed to use butterfly bush, Angie, but there was this one person who said the caterpillar was eating the leaves of Buddleia. That doesn't necessarily mean that your cat was doing that, though, it might have just been looking for a place to 'hang out'! :)

Sherry