>There is a small (1/2 inch long) caterpillar on the seedy part of my >sunflower. > I looked in my insect book and didn't find one that fit this description: it >has greyish black stripes alongside whitish stripes running the length of the >body. The head/eye area is terra cotta color. What could it be? > >MsPeach >USDA zone 9, Los Altos, California zone 16 >To e-mail, remove .mil.org > >
Here in San Francisco, I have lots of syrphid fly larvae (aphid predators) on
my sunflowers. Small heads, fatter bodies, double, creamy stripes on bright
green. If you're not sure, watch them for a bit and see if they are eating
aphids...it's really satisfying to see!