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Hi all, I'm new at this, both Grapevine and veg gardening. I planted cauliflowers, lettuce, spinach beet and radishes and was congratulating myself smugly as they grew - until one day the enemy arrived. Cabbage white butterflies may be beautiful but they don't half make lace out of your caulis and spinach. I uprooted the caulis, which by now had produced little baby caulis which were great cooked with cumin. The spinach beet then got attacked so I've picked most of the leaves - but although I can't find any of the little blighters I note that the remaining leaves are still being attacked. I've now built the amazing construction for netting as described in the Youtube video - thanks to the person who posted that! But I'm now worried about netting caterpillars IN unless I rip out the spinach beet plants, which are still heroically producing leaves. Worse still, I now notice a very few tiny holes in my lovely lettuce. Don't cabbage white caterpillars know they've not supposed to like lettuce? Or are they now desperate for a good dinner? Or is this a completely different enemy? All help appreciated.
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Welcome to the vine Ereiki. It's not the butterflies you want to be worried about, it's the 100's of eggs that they lay which in turn hatch & destroy your veg. You will find them most under the leaves.sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
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Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
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I've never had them attack spinach or beets before, or lettuce for that matter. I would think it's the slimey ones (slugs) that are eating your greenery. Bladdy things.Comment
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I have small green caterpillars in my lettuce. They look a lot like the small cw. Hello, BTW
Le Sarramea https://jgsgardening.blogspot.com/Comment
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Yep I to have had my lettuce and Mesclun attacked this year, it seems a bad year all round for flutterbys.
PottyPotty by name Potty by nature.
By appointment of VeggieChicken Member of the Nutters club.
We hang petty thieves and appoint great ones to public office.
Aesop 620BC-560BC
sigpicComment
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The eggs have all hatched Bigmally (or rather the ones that weren't squashed by me..) and I'm not getting any more, but the caterpillars (from both the native & invasive cabbage whites) grow bigger by the day with appetites to match.Comment
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I've seen lots of cabbage whites this year and they're even laying eggs in the lawn. You'll have to do a regular patrol Ereiki looking under the leaves for the yellow eggs. Welcome to the Vine BTW
Granny on the Game in SheffieldComment
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No, they don't eat lettuce or beet leaves. But snails do: I bet you it's baby snails or baby slugsOriginally posted by Ereiki View PostAll gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.Comment
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