caterpillar
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New Butterflies
Bordered Patch butterflies pupate quickly! On June 18, 2023 I noticed that a Bordered Patch chrysalis had formed on an American Beautyberry leaf (the pale object under a leaf in the photo below). On June 19, a second Bordered Patch chrysalis formed on an adjacent leaf. Both chrysalises were a creamy white color. On June Continue reading
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Interesting Things Happening On An American Beautyberry
There is a young American Beautyberry shrub near the back door, so I see it every time I go outside. A few days ago I noticed a Bordered Patch caterpillar just curled up on a leaf, and the next day there was a chrysalis in that location. That’s the lighter object in the above photo. Continue reading
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A Caterpillar In Disguise
One evening while I was looking closely at my Frogfruit, I saw what looked like a piece of dirt moving around. On closer examination I saw it had legs! This is the caterpillar of a moth in the genus Synchlora. Adults often have green wings, while larvae occasionally adorn themselves with pieces of plants to Continue reading
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Older Black Swallowtail Caterpillars
When I reported a month ago that I was seeing Black Swallowtail caterpillars on my dill plants, they were quite small and had a “saddle” pattern over their stripes. Here’s an example: Now, a month later, I see several much chunkier caterpillars that are still the same species but with rather different coloring. These are Continue reading
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Insect Poop Is Called Frass
One of the host plants for Bordered Patch butterflies, which I have seen here, is sunflowers and I do have an abundance of those. I wrote last year about observing Bordered Patch caterpillars, and I am starting to see them again. These caterpillars seem to travel around a sunflower plant as a pack, which surprises Continue reading
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The Intricate Design Of A Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval stage for a moth or butterfly, between egg and adult. As they grow they shed several times before the pupation phase where they develop into their adult form. Here’s something I had to look up: moths make cocoons; butterflies make chrysalises. I find it fascinating that the coloration of caterpillars often Continue reading
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“Will You Share?”
In my opinion, the little guy here would be better off moving to another stem, if not another plant entirely. I believe these are both Ermine Moth (Genus Estigmene) caterpillars (although I could be wrong there), and they are demolishing a dandelion flower. When I went to look later in the day, that entire stem had Continue reading
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A Hungry Caterpillar
I see a lot of these dark fuzzy caterpillars here. They grow into Salt Marsh Moths (Estigmene acrea). They seem to feed on a variety of plants, which I don’t mind, unless they happen to visit a tiny plant that I am nurturing. If I spot that, then they get hurled to a different part Continue reading
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Defending Corn From Caterpillars
When I first posted about the new spikes of corn growing in my Three Sisters Garden, someone asked whether I expected problems with them being nibbled on by squirrels. In the center of the housing development where I am, we have no mature trees and I don’t see squirrel visitors here yet. However, I did Continue reading
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Wildlife Visitors
I am not building a garden to have a collection of pretty plants, although that will hopefully be a pleasant side-effect. The real goal is to create a small pocket of nature that will be healthy for the land and welcoming to wildlife. Here’s an example of what is happening, which encourages me. As I Continue reading
About Me
Nature Lover.
Inquisitive Observer.
Student Gardener.
I invite you to join me on my journey to convert my sterile (from a nature point of view) new house lot to a healthy and diverse ecosystem, as I make discoveries, mistakes, and hopefully progress. I am not an expert or professional. The project started in February 2023 and the location is Seguin, Texas, USA.
Rewilding My Lot 