Dillbert wrote:it's actually rather crucial to know what flower they "decimated"
I know... and unfortunately there isn't a single plant left standing for me to photograph it and get some help. We just moved into the home in December, so we have no idea what most of our plants are.
I have one photo of my garden where they are in the background-- here it is. They are the bushy plants in the background, with the yellow flowers. I doubt this can help anyone ID it, but figured it was worth a try. A long-shot, I know.
imafan26 wrote:"kill every insect in the garden" - ah,,, not especially recommended, but can be done.
Yeah... well when you see an entire population of plant (about 80 square feet of it, altogether) die in less than 5 days, and can easily tell the worm responsible.... and then you see those worms on your tomatoes you've been nursing from seed since April? I think it's reasonable to take action, don't you?
imafan26 wrote:I don't know what kind of caterpillar it is but Bt should work.
By BT, you mean Safer Brand's caterpillar killer? Bacillus thurigensis? Honestly, the last Safer product I used worked for crap, so I don't know how much I trust that brand.
I went to our local gardening store last night and they sold me Bonide Caterpillar Killer (Lambda-Cyhalothrin). Worked well to kill the ones on the perennials. I would have liked to avoid harsh chemicals, but I was in a bit of a panic. At that point, saving the tomatoes from utter destruction took priority over trying to stay halfway organic.
