ON ROSES. 



127 



larva of the Winter Moth is to a great extent kept in check by 

 the Ichneumon flies, more than sixty species preying upon it. 



In certain seasons the very destructive caterpillar of the 

 Gooseberry Moth, Abraxas grossulariata, will attack Rose trees, 

 and practically defoliate them. Powdered hellebore should be 

 dusted on the foliage. 



Hitherto all the moth caterpillars dealt with have been small 

 and well concealed from sight. There are, however, to be 

 enumerated several caterpillars of the larger moths well 

 known to every gardener. They do not, however, select the 

 Rose alone as a food-plant, 

 but being practically omni- 

 vorous, the plant occasionally 

 is laid under contribution to 

 provide them with food. One 

 of these, is the caterpillar of 

 the Gold-Tail Moth {Liparis 

 similis) (auriflua). As will be 

 seen by the illustration (Fig. 

 62), it is a strikingly-marked 

 hairy creature. In colour it 

 is black, with a red double 

 dorsal line, red tubercles on 

 the tenth and eleventh seg-- 

 ments, and some white marks 

 in the sub-dorsal region. The 

 Common Vapourer (Orgyia 

 antiqua) is no less omnivorous, 

 and quite as striking as the 

 caterpillar just illustrated. It 

 is also extremely common, 

 almost every garden containing 

 it. This is a very voracious 



species, and would quickly defoliate a tree if present in any 

 numbers. Like the last it is very hairy. It is grey, beautifully 

 .spotted with red, and edged with white. On the second and 

 twelfth, and fifth and sixth segments the hair-tufts are black ; 

 whereas those of the fifth and eighth are yellowish. Once seen 

 the creature is hardly likely to be passed over for anything else. 

 The Lackey Moth (Bombyx Neustria) caterpillar, another hairy 

 species which is found upon many plants, but always an unde- 

 sirable visitor, , frequently affects Roses. It has a bluish-grey 



Fig. 62. — Caterpillar of Liparis 

 similis (Gold-Tail Moth). 



