Something ate my broccoli

[FrankPool]

I`ve just taken the pop bottle tops off my purple sprouting broccoli as the stems were starting to bend and overnight something trashed all the leaves. I think they were a bit tall (7-8 inches) for snails and slugs but the leaves are chewed  almost back to the "skeleton". Any ideas of what did it and will the plants recover? All help much appreciated. 

[FrankPool]

[Multiveg]

could it be the dreaded caterpillar?

[FrankPool]

Thanks Multiveg, but apart from it being a fat b*****d, can you suggest which sort it/they might have been, where to find them and if I can stop them getting any more?

Thanks, Frank

[Svea]

look for any hairy, pale greenish caterpillars that look well fed.
on the underside of large leaves is where they might hide during the day....i had a few on the underside of my rhubarb - though they didnt eat the rhubarb leaves at all.

if you have a book, look up cabbage white butterfly (??)

[Doris_Pinks]

Could be pigeons, Bl**dy things ate all my, just about to sprout, purple sprouting this year! >:(  Overnight too!

[FrankPool]

thats interesting Doris, i never thought of that - theres plenty of them on our site. I`ll get a net and see if it works. Thanks all.

Frank

[aquilegia]

If you use a fine net (with small holes) it'll stop both pigeons and catepillars.

[micsmum]

Pigeons have massacred my purple sprouting too a;though I have saved a few using scaffold net. They have also had my peas ( I assume it is them) so have netted them too!
Helen

[Mrs Ava]

Bl**dy slugs had my first, and then my second bl**dy planting of early sprouting!  GGRR

[sjg12]

I'm new to this so it might be a load of rubbish but a neighbour on our lottie reckons that if you put tubs of water between the plants the birds will leave them alone he had had a lottie for years and has never covered them as the birds are only after moisture. put mine out a couple of day ago with marg tubs of water between them and they seem to be left alone. hope i haven't spoke too soon???