There were 6 lovely caterpillars on my dill plant.
This was the lone dill that survived all winter...but honestly
I don't mind them munching on it. It had already flowered,
so it was a little late to use the leaves anyways.
When we first found them they were tiny and fuzzy
...just slightly bigger than a dill flower.
...just slightly bigger than a dill flower.
But they grew!
My kids have loved watching them.
If you tickle their back with a blade of grass these slimy orange antenna come out
of their heads and they will bend back and try to hit you with them...
You can see those orange antenna a little bit in the picture above. It gets longer and comes out further than that but this was the best picture I got of it. I originally thought it might be poisonous (couldn't think of another reason it would it do that) but I found out it's actually a gland that releases a foul smell to repel predators.
Unfortunately, some neighborhood boys came by and smooshed all but two of our caterpillars . :-( But, still hoping to see the last two turn into cocoons and then butterflies. I just found out they'll turn into Black Swallowtail Butterflies! (Thanks Laura P. from Lavendar, Literature and Lace).
Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by A Southern Dreamer
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What a great discovery, and what awesome photos! Happy WW!
ReplyDeleteAw! They are so pretty! I wonder what kind of butterfly they will become?
ReplyDeleteI'm not generally a bug fan, but these are really very cute! Texas does have such interesting critters.
ReplyDeleteHappy WW from Joysweb
They're so colorful. Im thinking how and why they're too many?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I followed you in Google connect. This is one way to keep in touch. Hope you do the same
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There were actually more than four the first time when I first noticed them (in the tiny fuzzy stage). I imagine they lay a bunch of eggs because many won't survive. Certainly proved to be true here.
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