I've found little holes in my green beans previously, and finally found the culprit--Gray Hairstreak caterpillars! Apparently, they have a wide taste in legumes. This one was being tended by a few ants. I've got two of the hairstreaks (
sans ants) in containers and will try to rear them. The previous couple I've had, from Redbud, pupated, but have not eclosed in over a year:
Size of caterpillar estimated. Allen's reference on caterpillars
(1) says the markings on this species are quite variable. Identification confirmed--I got two pupa and later (7/13/06) one imago Gray Hairstreak from this group of caterpillars. (Photos later of pupa--the butterfly escaped.)
Contributed by
Cotinis on 26 June, 2006 - 11:06am
Last updated 15 July, 2006 - 5:15pm