I have always had a love of plants and so I thought it was only appropriate to start going over some of the cooler plants out there.
The first one is one I grew up with in my parent's back yard. It is called the Catalpa tree. What makes this tree so amazing is that every year a caterpillar called the catalpa sphinx moth caterpillar comes and feeds on the tree in the summer. When I visited my parent's for the fourth of July weekend, the caterpillars were everywhere and had almost defoliated the tree. The amazing thing is the tree can take this damage and can bounce right back with its ability to quickly grow its leaves back.
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| My parents Catalpa tree eaten by the caterpillars |
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| Close up of the damage |
The other amazing thing is that the caterpillars are amazing fish bait. Some anglers purposely plant these trees just so they can get the caterpillars for bait. The best way to use the is to remove the head and turn the caterpillar inside out on the fish hook.
I always found this tree pretty amazing since I had so many memories associated with it. Not only is it a sight to see hundreds of caterpillars on the tree, but it has a long bean like seed pod that we would sword fight with as kids. If you ever want some great fish bait, just plant one of these trees in your backyard.
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| The catalpa sphinx moth catepillar |
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| Caterpillars eating on the leaves |
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| A second Catalpa tree growing in the yard not yet found as a food source |
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