Mullein Moths

As there doesn't appear to have been anything new in around 6 years? posted on these, I've started another thread.

 

Cor. they're destructive but great Scrunge

 

Bloomin eck i hope i dont get them,ive only got 1 mullien and its huge,is that in your garden scrungee? your poor plant

 

Cor never seen those before Scrungee....amazing

 

I let the mullein grow in rough, perimeter areas around my plot so the moths have somewhere to breed. They always seem to disappear down into the soil to pupate before they've destroyed all the blooms, so there's normally something left to shake the seeds out of and get some more plants going and start the whole cycle all over again.

So I don't think of them as pests destroying my plants, more like I've been successful in habitat creation (for both the plant & the moth).

 

Me too. In fact once the moths have gone I pull out all but one seed producing plant. Only grow them for the moths.

 

I shall do the same then guysive just been and checked mine and ive got white mildew patches on about 3 leaves?could be do do with it growing against the greenhouse? any ideas plz ? also a quarter of 1 leaf has been eaten by someone,so i shall give it a good check in the morn i didnt know moths needed them but i noticed in april the ladybirds were keeping snug in the leaves

 

Thinking more about them ...are they the same caterpillar that love ragwort? i seem to remember some same or similar when i used to dig it out of our horses grazing land

 

I've seen these caterpillars before.
If they mess with me they wont last long.
I quite like Verbascum thapsus, even if it might be considered a weed.

 

I love them too Pete. The lemon yellow flower/grey leaf combi makes my heart flutter.....

 

Is that why the caterpillars have yellow on them?ragworts a yellow flower aswell soz too many questions x

 

Those will most probably have been Cinnabars on ragwort and they should be about now as I took this pic on June 25th last year:

 

They've all gone and so has most of the plant. Loads of caterpillar poo all over it.

 

but the colours are fantastic