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- Roots, Shoots, Fruits & Flowers: Holiday Holly, Brown Needles, & Giant Swallowtail Butterfly
Figure 1. An image of holly foliage and berries. Photo by LSU AgCenter.
In this season of holidays, have you considered why the holly is used at Christmas?
AHA investigated that question, and a couple of websites had similar answers. Pagans of ancient Europe used holly and other evergreens to celebrate the winter solstice. With the spread of Christianity, missionaries adapted local traditions and taught that the holly foretold of Jesus’ crucifixion. One online source wrote,” … people associate the holly bush not with the story of Jesus’ birth but with his death, comparing the plant’s prickly leaves to a crown of thorns and the berries to drops of blood.”
Figure 2. A young longleaf pine with brown needles. Photo by CC Richmond.
Cecilia asked about a native evergreen tree, even though it is not used for holiday observance. She asked, “This landowner has a number of trees that have needles turning as seen in these photos…Any idea of what it might be or anything else I should look for? “
AHA responded, “Good news. Those are old needles and it’s time for them to fall off. Pines have their needles for two growing seasons. Those brown needles were from last year.” Later this winter, more pines, including those in the landscape, will be losing their old needles. If the needles were brown at the tips of branches, then that situation would be very concerning.
Last week a gardener sent an image of an orange dog caterpillar (ODC) which becomes a giant swallowtail butterfly (GSB). Christy of Pineville followed up on that article with a couple of images showing the rest of the life cycle of the GSB.
Figure 3. A pupa case of the orange dog caterpillar. Photo by Christy Frederic.
Figure 4. An adult of the giant swallowtail butterfly after emerging from the pupal stage. Note the doorknob in the lower left-hand corner for scale of this large insect. Photo by Christy Frederic.
Last week a gardener sent an image of an orange dog caterpillar (ODC) which becomes a giant swallowtail butterfly (GSB). Christy of Pineville followed up on that article with a couple of images showing the rest of the life cycle of the GSB.
In the picture to the left, is the chrysalis or cocoon of the ODC in the pupation stage. During this stage, the caterpillar becomes an adult butterfly.
Last week we started with a caterpillar, and this week we finish with a pupa and then an adult of the giant swallowtail butterfly.
If you want to contact Roots, Shoots, Fruits and Flowers, please send your questions and pictures to Keith Hawkins, Area Horticulture Agent (AHA), 337-463-7006 or khawkins@agcenter.lsu.edu. Also, you can be on the “green thumbs” email list by emailing your request to the address above.
“This work has been supported, in part, by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Renewable Resources Extension Act Award, Accession Number 1011417.”