What is partial to Cow Parsley?

[Alan_b]

I grow Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) in my garden.  I have a dark-leaved form called 'Ravenswing', a yellow-leaved form and some of the normal form (from which I remove the flower buds to prevent cross-pollination).  I often go away for a week in May.  When I leave the Cow Parsley seems perfectly fine and when I come back it is gone.  I presume from the skeletal remains of the leaves that the damage is done by some sort of caterpillar but which one?           

[Maggi Young]

The speed of destruction sounds like the way  Solomon's Seal Saw Fly destroys  those plants.

[Alan_b]

Yes Maggi, I gave-up on Solomon's Seal after losing a plant that way.  However whatever eats the Cow Parsley is not fatal to the plant, it just accelerates the summer die-back.  New leaves will begin to re-appear in the autumn.

[Maggi Young]

The Saw Fly caterpillars which chomp my neighbour's  clump of Soloman's Seal down to naked stems each year are not fatal to the plant either - it comes back each year. I feel sorry for the plant - but it's not a quitter!

[Olive Mason]

I have noticed the same thing in my garden Alan and like you wondered what was doing it.

[brianw]

Take your pick?
http://www.northumberlandmoths.org.uk/foodplants.php?foodplant=Anthriscus%20sylvestris

[Alan_b]

Thank you, brianw, that's a useful web site.  Yet despite the fact that the site lists around 40 moths that feed on Stinging Nettles (compared to 4 for Cow Parsley), nettles don't vanish from my garden in the way that the Cow Parsley does.  I guess Olive and I will just have to keep watch until we catch some bug in the act.