Passion Flower Vine & Gulf Fritillary caterpillars 8.24.14

My friend, Debbie, gave me a small Passion Flower Vine. She has a big one growing on a trellis and this one popped up in her butterfly garden.

It was about a foot tall when I got it. Now it’s about 4 ft tall.

I also noticed there were caterpillars on it. Very pretty ones. Orange with black spikes.

I checked www.bugguide.com and the Passion Flower Vine is the larval plant for the Gulf Fritillary

and the Zebra Longwing.  The Zebra Longwing caterpillars are white with black spikes. Hope to see a few of those too.

I noticed the wasps checking the plants for them so decided to go down the road and take some cuttings from a wild Passion Flower Vine and put them in a pot with rooting compound on them and bring the larger caterpillars into the Butterfly House. Here are 4 of the 7 I brought in.

By bringing them inside it will give the plant outside a chance to grow. There are already 6 little hatchlings on it and she was laying again today. Pretty little yellow eggs.

This one  is on the inside plant.

Their chrysalis is completely different than the Monarchs or Queens. Cant wait to see them.