Caterpillars, butterflies and slugs
I’m having some problems with nibbling nasties on the plot. Something is eating my lettuces, and it certainly isn’t me.
Here’s what most of them look like:

And here’s what one once-fine specimen now looks like:

That was taken a couple of days ago, and now the tiny remnants of that plant have totally disappeared. And yet whatever is eating them is impossible to see. I’m putting down slug pellets, and the plot seems to be slug and snail free, so they’re obviously doing their job.
I’ve seen one single caterpillar, but that was at the other end of the garden so I don’t think it was the culprit, and although the sun brings out a confetti shower of pretty white butterflies they spend their whole time excitedly fluttering around the broccoli and sprouts, and don’t seem even to have noticed the lettuces.
They’re going crazy for the sprout leaves, but seem to be leaving alone the heads of broccoli, which are now coming on faster than we can eat them, much like the beans did.
So I’m left scratching my head. Unless one of the neighbourhood cats has turned vegetarian and is sneaking in at night to nibble my greens, I can’t see or work out what is munching the lettuce.
If I can’t find and stop them, there will be nothing to eat with the tomatoes, the first harvest of which is scheduled for Friday.
If you liked that post, then try these...
Broccoli! on July 19th, 2007
Shoots on April 11th, 2007
Big Girl’s Blouse on May 2nd, 2007
Natural instincts on June 12th, 2008
Lots of garden growth on July 25th, 2007