Monday 5/25/26 Leicester and Paxton

[kstei...@aol.com]

Once the sun came out on Memorial Day afternoon, I saw:

Leicester - 5/25/26

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Paxton - 5/25/26

22 pussytoe plants full of American Lady caterpillars. Every other leaf seems to hold a caterpillar or a "nest." I'm not sure how to count this abundance accurately, so I'll report back when I figure it out. If you have some empty garden space, may I suggest pussytoes? My youth garden club planted them last summer, and had some caterpillar activity that first year, but now the activity is off the charts. This seems to be a true "if you plant it, they will come" situation and a great learning experience for the young gardeners.

Kristin Steinmetz