10.21.22
The weedy volunteer
These little vines kept sprouting around my yard for years. As much as I tried, they would keep coming back whenever I pulled them up.
When the Texas Winter Storm of 2021 hit, it wiped out a bunch of our trees. One of these vines started growing in an emptied spot and, with no real plans for that area, I just let it keep going...
...until it flowered this fall - turns out it was a Passiflora affinis! They're a great larval food for Gulf Fritillary caterpillars.
I set up a trellis with a roll of wire fencing, trained all the vines onto it, and the Gulf Fritillaries arrived this fall!
It started with a butterfly or two, followed by a few caterpillars.
Then it turned into an army of Gulf Fritillaries. They completely defoliated one side of the vine and are proceeding towards the other.
Given how tough these vines have been to get rid of though, I'm pretty sure they'll survive the onslaught.
Plus, they're getting ready to multiply even more! I'm keeping one vine to make the butterflies happy but will continue fighting off the rest until the end of time ❧
