After some thought, I decided to bring them inside
on Halloween night.
I couldn't do the Halloween thing because of the foot. I turned out the lights but I had a pumpkin out on the porch with candles inside.
So I figured I better bring the little ones in.
That night, two of them made cocoons.
They aren't the extremely tough ones most silkworm moths make. Kind of flimsy, actually. They seem to like using the older, dry leaves to wrap up in. It's kind of hard to see in the photo - and in person - but each bunch of leaves there has a cocoon hidden inside the folds.
Night before last, I did a head count and realized one was missing.
Oh well! Certainly that's not the first time a caterpillar wandered away on me. I knew it would probably turn up somewhere, sometime. Probably as a moth.
This morning, as I got ready to go out, I looked for my camera and case. I almost never go anywhere without it. I pulled open the case - and the Velcro seemed stuck. I pulled again. And it finally came open.
I automatically tried to put the camera inside.
It wouldn't go.
And why not?
Well! Because there was the Caterpillar Gone Walkabout, spinning silk, making a cocoon. Right inside the empty camera case.
I figured the camera could stay at home today.
Now, I have five cocoons. Two caterpillars left. One is huge. The other one was a runt but it's getting bigger.
I really am getting ridiculously fond of these little guys.
4 comments:
I LOVE you, k, just for who you are! Hope you have a good day.
And I you, Miss Assassin!
We've had one frost already , tho the plants on my porch are warmed by the house & so the very delicate HUGE leaves on my monster nasturtium haven't been bitten yet. By the frost. On the other hand, I discovered that Something very hungry was feasting on the leaves. Finally found several little green caterpillars munching out. I keep wondering what moth/butterfly would be laying eggs so late in the season! Maybe I should bring them in, as well!
Aha! Do you have caterpillar pix? I wouldn't have any idea who would do such a strange thing, time wise! I mean, usually I tell myself, --That bug surely knew what it was doing when it chose to do xyz - but of course, we also see plenty of dead bug babies too. So perhaps not.
Now I'm all curious too.
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