Caterpillars

[Looking Glass]

Anyone have a problem with these little bastards?   They are solitary, leaf-roller types, that roll up palm leaflets and chow down.   

They seem to have preferences for Satakentia, any Hyophorbes, but also for Pseudophoenix, Coccothrinax, and D. Carlsmithii.   They can do a number on smaller, slow growers before I notice, which sucks, as they seem to eat a lot at this size.   

I’ve found the best way is just to hand pluck them at the first sign of leaflet damage.    Probably plucked 20 in the last week.   They keep popping up randomly, so I suspect they move around at night perhaps, like cutworms, but I don’t think they travel off the plant.  

These three nailed one of my baby Pseudophoenix last night.  
 

[Joe NC]

https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/WildlifeDetail.asp?tx=Asbocapu/BU 

While I don't have to deal with these on my palms here in NC, I battle their relatives on Cannas. 

[D. Morrowii]

I just started finding them a week or so ago. I saw a little strip in a leaf then another and another. Finally found the culprits and sent them to bug heaven. Looking at yours the ones Im dealing with might be different or smaller.

[Looking Glass]

6 minutes ago, Joe NC said:

https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/WildlifeDetail.asp?tx=Asbocapu/BU 

While I don't have to deal with these on my palms here in NC, I battle their relatives on Cannas. 

I think that’s the exact one.   I used to think… “What a cute little butterfly”.   Now I’m like, “Attack little lizard army!  Kill him!”  (They are more of a rag-tag bunch of do-nothing drunken pirates than an actual army though).  

[D. Morrowii]

I’m a big fan of the lizard (gecko?) army but you're right they mostly conduct a lot of mating rituals and planter brawls… so pirates

[Looking Glass]

Mostly they are Cuban Brown Anoles, but as the palms grow up taller, native Green Anoles are showing up often.   They are basically just a bunch of porn stars, arguing and fighting in the bushes with each other.   


 

While these beetles go unchecked.   

The geckos come out at night and sneak in the front door when you open it, as do Cuban tree frogs. 

Giant Ameivas dig up the mulch, while iguanas destroy the plants.  

Curly tails squeeze under the sliders sometimes…

 

Black racers, white herons, mocking birds, rats, raccoons, etc…. all pick off any lizards they can get their jaws on.   

Cuban Knight Anoles peer judgmentally from the trees.  

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by Looking Glass

[D. Morrowii]

Oh man hahaha you have a larger assortment than we do up here. I see a lot of the brown anoles and geckos. I wish we had the greens.

i used to see a lot of those red headed agamas down in Miami.

[Little Tex]

My yard mostly has brown, green anoles, snakes, and geckos are in the house, super annoying(showers, cabinets, drawers) not to many palm eating bugs, which is good.