Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 07:36:22 -0700
From: ron <ron@NVWETLANDS.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Something is eating my Turk's Cap?

Bill, Turks cap (malvaviscus drummondii??- recently changed from malvaviscus
arboreus var. drummondii) is sometimes eaten by caterpillars. the chemical
solution is to use bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, which is a bacteria-derived
pesticide that kills only lepidoptera caterpillars and is otherwise non-toxic.
Usually a treatment or two - I have used powders sprinkled on the leaves -
knocks the caterpillars down to a tolerable level. Another option is to squash
the little buggers, but they can be hard to find. Perhaps someone knows where
they go in daylight?

Ron Rovansek

Bill Wood wrote:

> Dear Humnets and all,
>
> My Turk's Cap is being eaten as fast as it sprouts a new leave. I haven't
> been able to see anything on the leaves. The leaves are a mere skeleton
> after being attacked. Cigar and shrimp plants right next to the Turk's Cap
> are untouched. In fact, Turk's Cap is the only plant in my yard that is
> under attack. I haven't used pesticides or other kinds of treatment to
> this point.
>
> Anyone have any clues what might be eating the Turk's Cap and suggestions
> for treatment.
>

=====================================================

Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 08:34:57 -0500
From: MiriamLDavey <athena@INTERSURF.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Turk's Cap Culprit

In either case, I am suprised to hear that leaf miners are present. Unless
you are positive, I bet it's not leaf miners, but the same green
caterpillars that eat mine down to leaf skeletons if not treated regularly.
I must not have enough caterpillar munching birds or Ichneumon (sp?) wasps,
because my Sultan's Turbans wouldn't get to bloom if not BT'd regularly.

These caterpillars seem to really like native Hibiscus, too (H.militaris,
others) They must be Lepidopterans of some sort, because regular BT
treatments work well. I like the spray rather than ugly white powder. Just
use a household Windex spray bottle rather than fussing with clunky spray
cans that are forever getting clogged nozzles.

Leaf miners are easy to i.d. They are pesky little critters that hatch and
immediately burrow into the leaf, between the leaf's top and bottom
epidermises (epidermi) . They chew along, leaving distinctive, transparent
squiggly trails behind them. They don't actually skeletonize a leaf; they
turn the leaf into what looks like cellophane. They are terrible on
Cucurbits---squash, cucumbers, cantalopes. They are tough to treat, cuz
they're safe inside the leaf itself, so BT is not effective even if they
are Lepidopteran (?). It's best to prevent getting them, but how to do that
escapes me right this moment. Does that sound like what you are seeing on
the Turk's Caps?

Something else it could be, too, is grasshoppers or katydids. They will
skeletonize a leaf, and it can be tough to ever see them at work. Sneaky
devils. I find a drop of dishwashing liquid in the BT to be effective in
keeping them at bay. I don't think they like the taste of soap.

Re-apply BT/soap after rain or heavy dew.

MiriamLDavey
BatonRougeLA

===================================================

>Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 09:01:16 -0500
From: Bill Fontenot <bbboy@NATURESTATION.ORG>
>Subject: Re: Turk's cap, hummers, ect.

>
>down here in s. la. (where turk's cap grows natively along the coastal
>cheniers) RTHUs work turk's cap throughout its bloom season (april-oct).
>cloudless sulphur butterflies also seem particularly attracted to it.
>turk's cap (Malvaviscus drummondii) is one of the most versatile plants
>around. it can handle floods as well as droughts. planted in the shade, it
>lays down into a 3' groundcover, growing into a diameter of ca. 8' within
a
>few years. in the shade, its leaves are lush, large, and deep-green; it
>blooms later and more sparingly there. in the sun, its leaves shrink up
and
>turn olive green; but it blooms prolifically for 6-7 months. it also
>spreads like crazy. by september it puts on juicy fruits that look like >small tomatoes. i've seen mockers & thrashers around the fruits, and i'm
>sure that other birds use the fruits as well. i know this because i get
>volunteer turk's caps coming up under various trees & shrubs where these
>birds like to perch/roost.
>
>the giant turk's cap (M. penduliflora) or sultan's turban is native ( i
>think) to the u.s. only in the extreme lower rio grande valley. here in s.
>la. (zones 8b/9) it is hardy down to the mid-teens ONCE ESTABLISHED. it
>does not start blooming until late sept/oct, and peaks in nov/dec. its
much
>larger blooms hang down rather than sit up. the blooms are so large that
>RTHUs and other smaller hummers have a difficult time nectaring off of it
>(same story as flowering maple [Abutilon pictum]) - but they do use it by
>inserting their bills between the petals & following them up toward the
>calyxes. on the other hand, giant turk's cap is custom made for
>buff-bellied hummers.

>bill fontenot
>lafayette, la.

=====================================

Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 13:30:16 -0600
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Buff-bellied preferences?

In season, which usually means late fall through early spring, shrimp
plants
are highly sought after by Buffies. Late spring to Thanksgiving, you can
just
about map the distribution of Buffies by the distribution of native Turk's
caps. While they use many other flowers, these two seem to be the heaviest
used by the species. They will concentrate on Coral Beans in spring in
many
places where they probably will not nest.

Brent Ortego
Buffy Haven
near Raisin, TX