[CH] re: big gross green worm
Gary Allen (gary.allen@usa.net)
Thu, 6 Aug 1998 10:03:00 +0100
Suz,
Sounds like the larva of a swallowtail. Does it have rather striking red
and black spots?
The following is an excerpt from my herb book in-the-making (and no, it's
not going to ready for a long time):
---------------------------------------------
The caterpillars of some butterflies, especially the Anise Swallowtail,
Papilio zelicaon, and the Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes asterius
(ajax) feed on the foliage of members of the Umbelliferae (Chervil, Fennel,
Carrots, Parsley, Cilantro, etc.). The larvae of Black Swallowtails are
known as Parsleyworms.
I've found them to be especially fond of Dill.
Since you shouldn't spray herbs, the best solution is to pick the large,
brilliantly colored caterpillars off the plants yourself, dispatching them
by whatever method you find least offensive. If you cannot bear to kill
them, a gentler alternative would be to "transplant" them somewhere else --
preferably, from their point of view, in the middle of a large patch of
Queen Anne's Lace. It shouldn't be too difficult to find. Look along
roadsides and the ever-popular "waste places."
No doubt about it, butterflies are charming additions to an herb garden.
That they choose to leave their offspring to eat my herbs, however, borders
upon boorishness. Their beauty and grace almost excuse their inconsiderate
haste to procreate on my turf.
--------------------copyright 1998, Gary Allen
Anyway, what this means is your chiles should be safe from this particular
threat.
Gary
("Like trying to make a pig's ear from a silk purse." Roy G. Biv)