Gardening Australia – September 2019

Q

My husband found this in a pot plant and we are

wondering what it is. We live in Port Elliot, South

Australia, a couple of hundred metres from the sea.

VeraHughes,PortElliot,SA

MARTYN

ROBINSON SAYS

m guessing the pot plant

was from the milkweed

amily – or there was one

rowing nearby – as

hat’s the caterpillar of

he wanderer butterfl y

Danaus plexippus), also

known as the monarch

butterfl y, which feeds only

on plants from this family.

The three most common

embers of this plant

family are blood fl ower

Asclepias curassavica),

swanplant(Gomphocarpusfruticosus)and moth vine (Araujia

hortorum), but the caterpillar has also been recorded as feeding

on members of the genus Stapelia, also known as carrion fl ower.

So the mystery is what plant was growing in the pot or nearby?

As to the caterpillar, if you put it back on the plant, it will pupate

fairly soon and won’t do much damage. Then, in a couple of

weeks, a large orange, black and white butterfl y will emerge

and fl ap about your garden. Enjoy this impressive caterpillar,

but don’t put it in your mouth. The bright colours indicate that

it is most unpleasant to eat, as it incorporates the toxins from

COMPETITIONthe milkweed sap into its body for protection.

OPEN TO AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTS ONLY. STARTS 19/8/19 AT 00:01 (AEST) AND CLOSES 15/9/19 AT 23:59 (AEST). ENTRIES JUDGED ON 16/9/19 AT 2PM AT

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GARDENING AUSTRALIA SEPTEMBER 2019 93

Win one of 10 ‘Wren on Spade’ pieces, worth $50 each.

To enter, tell us in 25 words or less how you have created

a bird-friendly habitat in your garden. Write your name,

address, contact number and entry on the back of an

envelope, and send it to Metalscape Competition, Gardening

Australia, nextmedia, Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards NSW

1590, or email [email protected], with

‘Metalscape’ in the subject line, by September 15. Total

prize pool value is $500. For full terms and conditions,

visit gardeningaustralia.com.au

WREN ON SPADE

 is ‘Wren on Spade’ garden art from Australian

company Metalscape has a spike on the base to

insert into the ground or a pot plant. Designed to

withstand conditions outdoors, these exclusive

works of art come in a range of styles and  nishes.

valued at

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GARDEN

ART

Thriving

city garden

Just look at my dad

Arunas Zizys’s front

garden in Melbourne!

Kate Zizys,

Gippsland, Vic