Sandy, the leaf it's on now will probably be sufficient for about a week or so - it's practically impossible to get them off their original leaf no matter how bad looking it gets, so I don't even try any more. I'm amazed at how well they can grow when eating an old leaf! They always lay their eggs perfectly on the very end of the leaf. I saw a female laying eggs up close earlier this year, and I found out why - they perch in the general center of a leaf, then slide down 'til they reach the end. I saw this female slide, then go back and do it again, like maybe she overshot the leaf the first time. It takes about ?5 or 6 days for the eggs to hatch, a long time, since the eggs aren't very big - a good many RSP eggs must be infertile, because a lot of them just wither and disappear. Also, a good many RSP cats die in the first instar, regardless of whether you bring them in or leave them on the tree. They make up the difference by the huge numbers of eggs they lay. I can't remember exactly how long they stay on the "string" and the original leaf, but a week seems about right. Once I see the cat hanging over the branch (like a feline cat) just up from the leaf, I cut off the branch and bring the cat in to raise in one of my cages. I'm raising one cat now, and another one is in the "J" about to pupate. I'll guess they stay in the cat stage ?3 weeks. In the wild, they pupate in odd places, like I once found one on the outside garage wall by my husband's radio room door, and I found one on my street sign a few year ago! I once watched as a RSP cat pupated, and the ugly bumps they have on their backs are what change into the knob. Here's my famous road sign RSP chrysalid - Here's a picture of 3 RSP hatchlings on the same area of the same cherry tree - clickable thumbnail - And here's a clickable thumbnail picture of a RSP cat hanging over the edge of the branch, a good time to bring them in to raise - And here's a clickable thumbnail of a late instar RSP cat with a giant swallowtail caterpillar - the RSP is on the right - If your egg doesn't hatch, or the hatchling dies, don't blame yourself - this happens to a lot of them and you'll get more eggs! :) MissSherry

It looks great, Larry! You could add the information given by bernergrrl, leafhead and Sandy - Rudy daggerwings and goatweed leafwings also make a frass 'string' that's used as a perch by hatchling and early instar caterpillars. When fall approaches, very young viceroy and red-spotted purple caterpillars make a hibernaculum, a very small, tight nest in their leaf. They spend the winter in it and come out in spring when the host plant makes new growth to eat the young leaves. From that point in spring, they finish their life cycle. Older caterpillars reportedly overwinter in the open. I assume that white admirals also make a hibernaculum? If so, they should be added to that list. Sherry

It sounds like some of your neighbors have been growing runner beans. The flowers are very attractive to bees, which will cross-pollinate them from a great distance. Your "sports" are most likely crosses. There are many white flowered / white-seeded runner beans, such as "Emergo", "Pole Cannelini", "Bond's Orcas Lima", and "Jacks Bean". "Painted Lady" has bi-colored flowers, and white & brown seeds. "Tocomares Chocolate" also has bi-colored flowers, with seeds that are all brown, or brown & white. You can see a photo of "Tucomares Chocolate" blossoms in the Pole Bean Spacing thread on this forum. Chances are that one or more of these has crossed with your runner beans, especially if you grew one of them in the past. My guess would be "Painted Lady", since it is fairly popular. Seed Savers Exchange offers it.

Ah ha! Here is one to consider: Ternstroemia, and apparently there is a bronze cultivar. Mine is just green with some very slight coloration, I got it at Colvos Creek last year. And if the evergreen part is more important than the bronze/red color, you can consider Drimys lanceolata and Daphnephyllum for their red petioles, Drimys winteri for the blue green leaves, Osmanthus decorus for very dark green foliage. or you could spray paint an acuba. Here is a link that might be useful: ternstroemia