Come and Get It!

On my way in the front door after my dog walk this morning I stopped at my butterfly garden to check on the caterpillar cocoon. I don't know how long the transformation takes... suppose I could look that up.

Anyway -- I had to do a double take, because this is what I saw:



For a split second I was excited -- it's out! But wait -- no, the cocoon doesn't produce another caterpillar -- dummy, it produces a butterfly! I guess the word is out about where to find yummy parsley...

You can see the cocoon still there on the left hand side of the photo. It looks sort of like a silvery leaf. I still think the cocoon looks a little "unfinished" -- and wonder if it's going to come full circle, but we'll see. I'm not exactly an expert.

Hungry Caterpillars

I thought that the time for caterpillars this summer was passed and that we were full on butterflies now. I am wrong! I give you Exhibits A and B who are happily munching on my parsley plant:




The day before that I saw one on my fennel and one on the parsley, but I guess either there is a third one roaming around somewhere, or one of them determined that the munching was greener over with his buddy.

I've been searching for a book or poster that contains color photos of caterpillars, and the corresponding butterflies that they become, but alas -- does not seem to exist. So how does one know what become what?