So my broccoli is not doing so well. I haven't had the time to go out and pick caterpillars off and they have destroyed it. Luckily it isn't a total loss....2 small plants to eat and a nice lesson on the life cycle of a butterfly. First order of business was to collect one of the pests...

Then we went online to find what exactly we had: An Imported Cabbageworn. Of course we get to observe him devouring my broccoli, the leaf we brought in now has a huge hole in it.  Today we went out to the garden and saw the white-yellow butterflies with the black spot on it's wing on my butterfly bush and hollyhocks- so they got to see what our little bugger would look like all grown up. Then while inspecting my damaged plants we found this:

 Actually we found 3- which are now sitting in the vase on our dining room table with the caterpillar's leaf. So in a week or so we will see the final stage emerge....

I also found this when looking for other information on this:

Sprinkle damp leaves with corn meal, rye flour or a mixture of one part salt to two parts flour. Cabbage worms that eat this coating will bloat and die.

 I'll have to remember than for next year....because in the past we have had a smaller problem with these....but there is nothing like cooking broccoli and seeing dead worms floating in the water, they are so well camouflaged and they get into the flower stalk and hard to get out....