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Toadflax Brocade moth caterpillars

The tattooed gardenerThe tattooed gardener Posts: 59
in Problem solving
So as the title suggests I have lots of toadflax Brocade moth caterpillars on my, you guessed it, purple Toadflax, 
should I remove and dispose of them? I know they will eat the toadflax plants but are they likely to cause any other issues? 

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I have similar on my Mullein plants, I grow them specially for the caterpillars. I don’t pick them off,  toadflax will spread right across your garden if you let it set seed so a few chewed plants don’t make much difference in my opinion. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Happens to mine too, but there are so many plants I don't mind losing a few.
    The usually eat all of my mullein flower stems too, but this year I put up a tit-box about 10ft away and almost no flowers damaged and hopefully a new generation of blue tits :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • The tattooed gardenerThe tattooed gardener Posts: 59
    Ah that’s good to hear, I can relax a bit now 👍 il leave them to have a munch.
    @Pete.8 I see you’re in Billericay, I’m just down the road in Basildon 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    We're almost neighbours then :)

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    My daughter was fascinated by these caterpillars on my toadflax and horrified to see one that had dropped off being attacked by ants  :o 
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    I think we have removed and disposed of enough of our wildlife in the name of gardening. 


    In the sticks near Peterborough
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