Caterpillars eating your Passionflower vines?

This morning’s autumn glow on a Gulf Fritillary stopped me in my tracks. The faded tones, the light shining through.

These guys are the less recognized local butterflies. Everyone is jumping on the save the Monarchs craze, buying up milkweed to feed them. But let’s not forget the other host plants in the garden. Passionflower vines are always a wonderful addition to the garden, and people start to freak out when they go out and the vines are eaten up, they go running for a spray.

DO NOT spray your passionflowers! They are the Fritillary’s host plant. They only go for Passifloras. Let them be. The plant will grow new leaves and the cycle will continue on next year. And when you see one of these guys flitting around you can feel good about preserving their ecosystem.
#milkweedformonarchs #passionflowerforfritillary