Parsley Predator

[sanzfrancisco]

I had really nice Italian parsley growing in my garden. One evening I watered, and the next morning all the leaves were gone. The stems were standing strong, but there were no leaves. What could have eaten them? I think there are mice in my neighborhood, but would they eat parsley? The stems weren't even bent or damaged.

 

[Chuck]

I had really nice Italian parsley growing in my garden. One evening I watered, and the next morning all the leaves were gone. The stems were standing strong, but there were no leaves. What could have eaten them? I think there are mice in my neighborhood, but would they eat parsley? The stems weren't even bent or damaged.

Rats, mice and rabbits love all types of greens except for some of the mints.

 

[Beverly]

Parsley is also a host plant for black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars.

 

[MaryMary]

You watered them in the evening, then they were gone overnight?

I'm leaning towards slugs or snails.

 

[Beverly]

I'm leaning towards slugs or snails.

I don't know about your slugs and snails @MaryMary, but mine eat both stems and leaves, chomp the tops right off. Caterpillars will generally leave the stems so the plant can grow anew.

 

[Chuck]

About caterpillars and their eating habits. A single caterpillar, I do not believe, can eat an entire parsley plant, minus the stems, in a single night unless it is a very small plant. There would have to be multiple caterpillars to eat a single midsize plant. After the plant was eaten where did it/ they go? Underground? Unlikely. Cutworms are (I think) the only caterpillar that lives underground and they will cut a limb or stem completely off, not just eat the leaves. So that leaves nearby plants to house the caterpillars and the OP hasn't mentioned any other damage.

 

[Beverly]

About caterpillars and their eating habits.

There could have been more than one caterpillar. Before they are ready to pupate, caterpillars eat a lot, they also poop a lot. Then they stop eating the host plant and go wandering to find a place to pupate. They are good at disappearing. What they would leave behind would be lots of poops, so that would be what one would look for to determine if the perp(s) was a caterpillar(s). Follow the poop. These caterpillars are approximately 2" (1cm about) and the poops are sizeable and noticeable

 

[Verdun]

Rabbits would be my guess. They love carrot tops, same family as parsley by the way, and would devastate a crop overnight.

 

[Beverly]

@Verdun but rabbits would not eat only the leaves and leave the stems in tact, would they? The stems were not damaged or eaten.

 

[MaryMary]

I don't know about your slugs and snails @MaryMary, but mine eat both stems and leaves,

Mine eat cat food.

This past spring, when they ate my sunflowers, they only ate the leaves...

 

[Beverly]

Mine eat cat food.

I can think of 2 reasons why they did not eat the stems; 1. they were already stuffed with cat food, and 2. if i recall correctly, sunflower stems are sort of prickly and hairy. With cat food available they can afford to be choosy? If you give them lupine to eat, for example, they will eat the stems.

 

[Verdun]

Touch wood, rabbits are no longer a problem here but, yes, they ate stems and leaves when they did come in. Carrots for example had their entire tops eaten.
Since I put my "trespassers will be eaten" sign up the rabbits have kept away!

 

[MaryMary]

I can think of 2 reasons why they did not eat the stems; 1. they were already stuffed with cat food, and 2. if i recall correctly, sunflower stems are sort of prickly and hairy. With cat food available they can afford to be choosy?

It might be the hairy stems they don't like. But the cat food is on the front porch, and the sunflowers were in the back yard. Those are different slugs.