butterfly attraction

[Andrew Daw]

> 
> In article <34704427.42EA at gate.net>, viceroy at GATE.NET wrote:
> 
> >
> > Alas, the introduced plants are often hosts for local butterflies, and
> > can cause problems by artificially elevating populations, which are then
> > regarded as pests.
> 
> Yep, I guess we have one of those in Northern Queensland (a beautiful
> lycaenid) which chews up people's prize cultivated orchids.
> 

Things can happen the other way too. I remember some mailings back earlier in
the year where the European Garlic Mustard was out competing the native USA
species.  This plant was more attractive to the butterfly P. virginiensis
which would ignore it's natural food plant and lay eggs on this instead.
Unfortunately the toxins in the European Garlic Mustard was too strong for
the caterpillars and they would die.  This I gather would wipe out a colony
of P. virginiensis quite quickly.

> 
<SNIP>
> cheers
> 
> Dave.
> 
> --
> David R. Britton, Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong
> Wollongong, NSW, Australia, 2522.
> Ph.(61-2) 4221 3436,Fax.(61-2) 4221 4135
> 


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