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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