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Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Backyard Nature Wednesday: Rue the caterpillar!

On my inspection walk through of my garden a couple of days ago, I noticed that my little rue plant was looking decidedly the worse for wear. I looked for the reason for its disheveled appearance and it didn't take long to find the culprit.
And here he is - a big, fat Black Swallowtail caterpillar! It was obvious that he had been feeding on the plant, unnoticed, for several days, and he is now very near to the end of his life as a caterpillar. Soon, he'll find a place to spin his cocoon and pupate. And then, with a bit of luck, I may meet him in the garden in his new form as a beautiful Black Swallowtail butterfly.

  
  
This was a Black Swallowtail that visited my garden earlier this year. Perhaps he was an antecedent of my present-day caterpillar.

The rue will grow new leaves and the caterpillar will move on to the next stage in its development. And so the circle of life continues.
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7 comments:

  1. GlennaJuly 22, 2015 at 8:51 AM

    What a beautiful caterpillar! Great shot of the Black Swallowtail. There are many butterflies around my house right now.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 22, 2015 at 10:08 AM

      'Tis the season of butterflies. And their progeny.

      Delete
  2. CarmenJuly 22, 2015 at 11:56 AM

    My landlord keeps cutting a bush where caterpillars used to hang out; now they have disappeared. :-(

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    Replies
    1. CarmenJuly 22, 2015 at 11:57 AM

      I meant butterflies. Nice pics, Dorothy!

      Delete
    2. Dorothy BordersJuly 22, 2015 at 12:03 PM

      That's too bad. I know it's sometimes difficult to encourage butterflies when you are in a rent situation and the landlord is not sympathetic. All of which just makes it more incumbent on those of us who can to do everything possible to support them.

      Delete
  3. AlanaJuly 25, 2015 at 10:02 AM

    Thank you for visiting my site and IDing my swallowtail. Great capture on yours. Reading your blog post today, in the middle of one of my caregiving days, was so relaxing. Thank you for the nature moment.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 25, 2015 at 10:05 AM

      Hope everything is well with your family and that you have a good day with them. Nature is always a refresher, isn't it?

      Delete

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