Invasion of the Caterpillars-Don’t  Spray!                             

                                          Tara Spears

Besides the heavy seasonal rains last week, lots of spiny caterpillars have appeared in Riviera Nayarit yards and on sidewalks. For many people, the first response is to stomp them or spray these creepy crawlies with insecticide. But there is another, easier way to deal with these invaders-peaceful coexistence.  Yep, just ignore them!  Yes, they do eat a lot- I have several plants that are stripped to the bare stem whereas a week ago they were lush flowering plants.  The leaves will grow back and the flowers will rebloom in time for the adult butterfly or moth to sip the nectar.  By remembering that caterpillars are the larval growth stage of butterflies and only temporary should help one ignore their scary presence.

Worldwide there are approximately 140,000 species of butterflies and moths, with 80% of all species found in the tropical regions. The exciting news is that 2,000 species live in Mexico; 725 species are in the USA and Canada.

Butterflies and moths both belong to a group of insects called "lepidoptera", meaning that they have wings covered with scales. They are related in many ways. Butterflies are generally brightly-colored while moths are generally drab, though they are many dramatic exceptions to this. Almost all butterflies are active during the day, and most (but by no means all) moths are active at night. A good way to tell the difference is by their antennae. Butterfly antennae are shaped somewhat like a golf club, with a long shaft. Most moths have either simple filaments tapering to a point, or complicated affairs with many cross-filaments.

Opler and Krizek, authors of Butterflies East of the Great Plains, state that the expected life span, which is usually much shorter than the maximum life span (because of weather, predators, and many other factors), ranges from about 2 to 14 days. Maximum life span ranges from about 4 days for the Spring Azure to 10 to 11 months for the Mourning Cloak. Just as with people, females generally live longer than males. Butterflies which hibernate or go into reproductive diapause also tend to live longer.

The beautiful colors of butterflies result from the scales on their wings  ('lepidoptera' means scale). Each scale is a single color, most of which are produced by pigments. The iridescence that's sometimes seen is produced from a reflective microstructure on the surface of the scales. It has been researched that the butterfly can see red, green and yellow colors but that scent plays a part in their selection of a food source.  In order to enjoy the delicate beauty of the adult butterfly or moth, caterpillars are necessary.  And since caterpillars have four generations a year, what we are seeing now is the fourth generation busy getting on with their life cycle.

The locomotion of the caterpillar with its many legs is amazing to watch. The caterpillar has six true legs on its thorax (it is an insect) but it also has prolegs. These are protruding parts of the abdomen that function like legs (but aren't jointed in the way the true legs are). Different species of caterpillar have different numbers of prologs. In addition, the caterpillar breathes through an opening on each side of each segment.  As the caterpillar moves, air is pumped into the trachea, causing oxygen to be taken in and carbon dioxide pushed out.  In its two week life, the caterpillar does nothing but eat and grow, shedding its outgrown skin ( instar stage).  Once the caterpillar is the proper size for its species, it begins the metamorphic stage by creating a chrysalis (pupa).  Generally, the reason that one sees a caterpillar laboriously climbing a screen or sidewalk is that it is searching for either a food source or a place to spin the chrysalis.

Since there are some toxic species of caterpillars, it is wise to not touch the spiny types with bare skin. Also, some people may get an allergenic reaction from the secretion of the caterpillar.  It’s easy to relocate a caterpillar simply by placing an object in its path and letting it climb- safe for both the delicate caterpillar and the viewer.  More than a dozen years ago, a charity I volunteered for needed a fundraiser.  We involved the local high school science students in a terrific learning project that culminated in selling the host plant with eggs and caterpillars as gifts to mark special dates such as anniversaries and weddings.  It was hughly successful for the students, charity and gift recipients.

Not using pesticides or killing caterpillars will reward you with a terrific display of butterflies or moths.  Even better, future generations will return as they repeat their life cycle. Enjoying life in the tropics involves developing tolerance for the ugly and weird yet fascinating critters that make the Riviera Nayarit so unique.   

The Appeal of an 'OTZ' Property in Mexico Stephen Slater - blucroix.com go to original September 03, 2009   After searching OTZ for years, at final real estate decision time, as usual, we bought when we could walk in and say, 'this is the one.' During our search for a second home upon the soil of my wife’s native land, a realization struck us, as we visited a lovely home in Conchas Chinas (Puerta Vallarta.) The property was a dream on the hill, overlooking the ocean. We paused however, when we learned the neighbor to the left was from Phoenix and to the right, from San Francisco. Combined with the tourist crush at the PV Airport, being bordered on both fronts by N. Americans inspired our quest to search "OTZ." I created the acronym OTZ, to simply describe those properties in México that are "Outside Tourist Zones." The primary tourist zones being Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel Allende, Chapala (retirement), etc. OTZ properties are not for everyone. They do however offer an opportunity to intimately become part of the heart and soul of México that is not quite as prevalent "WTZ," or "Within Tourist Zones." OTZ areas (which make up most of the country) offer properties that are typically designed, developed and sold to the domestic market. Architectural gems wait to be found. Contracts are frequently only in Spanish, multiple listing services (MLS) are prevalent but are also in Spanish and the Seller will rarely, if ever, be from Phoenix or San Francisco. For those from the north that prefer the path less traveled by, OTZ properties are worth the look. After searching OTZ for years, at final real estate decision time, as usual, we bought when we could walk in and say, "this is the one." I have been in corporate real estate, working for a fortune 50 corporation and running my own consulting practice for 25 years. Every time we close on a property, we go through the same process, I do the research, I visit the sites, and I narrow to the "short list" and then bring in "La Doña," to make the final decision. Generally, higher end OTZ markets can exhibit very different market dynamics than mass WTZ markets: • Buy and hold mentality is more prevalent. Flipping is not as common. • Short term developer speculation is less prevalent; buyers and sellers are typically stronger. • In most cases, developers will have deeper pockets and are not as reliant on buyer deposits for cash flow. • In accord with historical patterns, properties are more likely to be purchased with cash or on very short terms. Transactions and contracts can be simpler. Seller financing is often built into a transaction via interest added to short term payments. It is not uncommon to have interest free short term seller carry-back. • High end USD priced properties in premier colonias will retain relative value in a recession; liquidity will lengthen before price will drop. • Old school values such as reputation and family name are more apt to be involved, offering enhanced levels of confidence for buyers. • Escrow and title insurance is not as prevalent; under the right circumstances and pending confidence levels, frequently, they are not as important to the transaction. • US based or US originated residential real estate service providers (title, escrow, financing, realtors, etc.) are concentrated in WTZ’s, primarily due to market depth, efficiencies and the economies of scale they can achieve. Rest assured, excellent domestic bilingual professional representation is abundant and accessible in OTZ areas. As a bicultural family, today our second home is in Zapopan, which is part of metropolitan Guadalajara. It is an OTZ property and we are very thankful to have made the choice we did. So much so, that I see our Los Angeles home rapidly transitioning towards becoming the second home. Stephen Slater is CEO of Blu Croix Ltd. He has completed numerous transactions in México and Latin America and can be reached at s.slater(at)blucroix.com.