Red, I'd suggest you find the culprits. Remember the movie Casa Blanca and the line "Round up the usual suspects!". Same applies here.

I'm no citrus expert but I would guess that we're either talking about a leaf rolling catapillar or snails. So go on out there and try to see what's doing it. Look for curled leaves that have some pest living inside.

If you can't find anything during the day,,,, then by all means grab that flashlight and head on out at night and find out what's up.

Once you know who the unwanted guest is, the treatment can be recomended..

Good luck!

Citrus plants are host plants for black swallowtail caterpillars. Have you noticed any under the leaves? I've found them on my Myers Lemon tree in the past. I'm glad they enjoy it. I love having black swallowtail butterflies in my garden.

Clk on pict.

Ahhhhhh! I have noticed bites out of my meyer's leaves, too, and sure enough, there were a few huge black swallowtails fluttering around the area today. Good to know!

What else do they eat? I'll move them elsewhere.

Citrus is host for the giant swallowtail. The cats of the giant swallowtail look like a gray/black/tan blob of bird poop, unlike the black swallowtail that is the pretty green/yellow/black cat. Giant swallowtails are also black, but they have the large yellow band runing from wingtip to wingtip across its back. I'm thinking of getting a myer's lemon just to get those gorgeous giant swallowtails spending more time in my yard. Black swallowtails like dill, fennel, parsley and a few others I don't remember.

Yes, thanks for refreshing my memory on the swallowtails debndal. I used to raise them along with Gulf Frittilary butterflies. The black swallowtails cats also eat rue.

Here's a giant swallowtail depositing an egg on my Myers lemon tree:

{{gwi:1342952}}

and a Black swallowtail which just eclosed on rue I grew:
{{gwi:754557}}

Well, I sure have seen those around, the Giant Swallowtail, so I am quite sure that is what it is. Well, I have 3 more lemon trees which are not so in the open and they are not being eaten, so I dedicate this one tree entirely to the butterfly. So you have a picture of the cat?

Here you go...scroll down a bit.

Here is a link that might be useful: Butterflies of Texas

That settles it. I've got to get a citrus plant. Those photos are gorgeous sowngrow.

I just hope they find and like my trifoliate orange tree! I like it better without leaves anyway :-)

Wow - cool tree!

When I went poking around yesterday after reading this thread, I found a chrysalis (sp?) just like the one in the picture above. I'll have to keep an eye on it!

Thanks debndal!
red geranium-as you can see the Giant Swallowtail cat looks like a bird dropping! Not very attractive considering what they turn into.