Passionflower vines and caterpillars

We visited Wildseed Farms this morning in hopes of finding native passionflower vines. No luck. However, Liz Cannedy at the Farm's butterfly garden kindly shared some cuttings off one huge Passiflora caerulea (above left), complete with baby fritillary caterpiallars, so we could start some at home. She also gave us a big sprig of Passiflora 'Incense' (right bottle). We trimmed off most of the big leaves, piled them in a plastic container and set them inside a dark cabinet in the garage. Here's hoping some the caterpillars make it!

Passiflora incarnata

Meanwhile, I checked our little native passionflower vine, and it's hanging in there. There must be seven or eight caterpillars feeding on just a few meager leaves.


I was relieved to see more eggs and a few tiny caterpillars on our other (nonnative) passionflower vine. It's thriving! Which is good because that means plenty of food for everyone!

More caterpillars

Today has been such a beautiful day. I carried some reading materials and letters to write so I could sit outside and still be productive. Then I wandered around by the bed of lantanas and Salvia coccineas in the front yard. A butterfly fluttering near the passionflower vines caught my eye. Looked like a Gulf fritillary to me. I'd noticed some caterpillars on the passionflowers recently, which got me to thinking. Could those caterpillars be the larvae of Gulf fritillary butterflies?

A quick look on the Internet, and I was back out the door with my trusty camera. I got one decent shot of the butterfly, then I snapped several of the caterpillars, all in different stages of growth. Ugly things, but kinda pretty, too.

According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, passionflowers (Passiflora incarnata) are a larval plant for Gulf fritillaries. BugGuide.Net also has a photo of a Gulf fritillary caterpillar.

In the past, we might have smashed'em cuz they're eating our vines. Now we know to let them be.

Purple passion

Passionflower
(Passiflora sp.)

Leaffooted bug

This guy has been hanging out near the passionflower vine in the front yard. I haven't pointed him out to James. Yet. I distinctly remember James giving the last one a "thunk" in the head (it survived). I'm more of a "let-and-let-live" kind of person. I even hate to kill roaches (I flush'em instead whenever possible.) However, I identified this insect, and the news is not good. He (she?) is a leaffooted bug (Acanthocephala terminalis). Read more on Bugguide.net, too. What do they eat? Stems, leaves, fruit, that type of thing.

In other words, this guy likely preys on our passionflower vine.

Uh oh. Not good. Think he may be taking a trip across the street soon to the vacant field.....

Pink passionflower

James was outside, hauling more rocks, when he came in and alerted me.

"The other passion vine is blooming!"

So I grabbed my camera and followed him outside. Earlier this summer, we bought two passionflower vines. The first one bloomed, and I posted photos of it. This one is suppose to be more pinkish, but it sure looks lavender to me. So exotic looking, don't you think?

Passion from a different angle...

One of our two passionflower vines is busy blooming. Actually, these are photos of the same bloom I shot today...

Pretty, eh?