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You may recognize the plant in the photo as poison ivy, bane of many a gardener and outdoors enthusiast. Touching it can cause allergic reactions like painful contact dermatitis. I know not to tangle with this formidable vine, so I look but don’t touch.
Continue reading “Haiku: Revealing Red”
As mentioned in my earlier post, there were signs that the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail was approaching the final phase of its growth before metamorphosis. Little did I know that what happened after its dramatic color change would be quite a shocker…just in time for Halloween, the headless caterpillar!
Continue reading “Update #2: The Legend Of The Headless Caterpillar”
After a stretch of confusingly-warm weather, Fall has landed like a ton of bricks: last night, temperatures were only slightly above freezing. Along with the precipitous drop in temperature, the trees are rapidly shedding their leaves, birds have migrated (goodbye, hummingbirds – see you next year), and even on sunny days, the light has a soft, muted quality that murmurs that Autumn has arrived.
Continue reading “Around The Farm: Frost, Fallen Leaves, And Fungi”
I’m happy to share that, yes, the caterpillar is still alive. And there’s a new development that leads me to believe that it’s nearly time for it to form its chrysalis, heralding its impending transformation into a beautiful butterfly!
Continue reading “Update: Raising An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar”
The spiders here run the gamut from large to small. This particular orb weaver is tiny…so tiny that, to the naked eye, she looks like a speck. I’d noticed this line of objects atop the rooster tractor and when I looked very closely, saw that the diminutive arachnid was perched in the middle of the line. Do you see her?
Mornings have been chilly – down in the 60s – and I was very surprised to find a bright green caterpillar on the rim of a tub outside. Having recently researched caterpillars for another post, I knew this was a special caterpillar, and I wondered why it was motionless, out in the open, covered in dew. Was it even alive?
Continue reading “Growing Things: Raising An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly”