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Tiny Egg on Milkweed |
A sweet discovery I've been waiting my whole life to see.
Others have witnessed this from beginning to end...
but not me,
not from an egg
discovered in my very own garden.
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1.2 mm high and 0.9 mm wide |
See the tiny vertical ridges?
There is only one thing
in all the world this could be...
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Five Days Later |
and it is just beginning to hatch.
What could be inside?
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1/8 of an inch long |
Welcome to our world little guy.
All he thinks about is eating...
first he'll eat his egg shell
and then he'll eat the milkweed
he lives on.
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1/4 inch long |
This tiny little caterpillar
is very hungry.
He has doubled in size in just one day.
You might too
if all you did was eat.
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Day Four |
You should know that milkweed is the only food
this caterpillar will eat.
Milkweed has a nasty toxin in it
that makes the caterpillar taste nasty.
Birds don't like the taste
so they choose not to eat the caterpillars.
Mother Nature's way of protecting them.
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Caterpillar Changing his Clothes |
As the caterpillar grows bigger,
he simply undresses.
He wiggles out of his skin
to a find a larger size just waiting for him.
And if he keeps on eating
he'll soon grow out of that as well.
And he will... keep on eating.
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It's a Fine Life |
As he eats,
he grows bigger and bigger each day.
Hungry, hungry caterpillar.
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Fat Little Caterpillar |
He will actually shed his skin FIVE times
in the next two weeks
as he grows to be two inches long.
About this time,
something deep inside whispers...
it's time.
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Hanging Out in J Position |
So he scurries to find a place to hang...
upside down!
Quickly he begins spinning silk threads
to make a tiny button
to attach himself securely.
He looks like the letter J as he lifts his head.
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Shedding his Skin |
And then something quite remarkable
begins to happen.
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Un-Dressing |
The caterpillar completely
undresses again...
shedding his skin for the last time.
This time he looks very different.
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Almost a Chrysalis |
He continues to change
right before your very eyes.
He is becoming...
He is becoming...
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Chrysalis One Inch Long |
a beautiful Chrysalis...
with golden jewels to adorn.
Surely a miracle.
♦ ♦ ♦
Now... something quite wonderful is happening
inside this tiny Chrysalis.
What will happen next?
Patience, my dear friends...
next post!
Patience, my dear friends...
next post!
*It's been several weeks since I last posted here and about that long since I've had time to visit blogging friends. Thank you to those who have sent notes asking if I was ok... I am. Life is good. Very good. My last little fledgling (# 8 of 8) just flew from our nest. I guess that makes us empty nesters. (Still trying to wrap my mind around that title.) I've known this stage of life was coming... just never took time to embrace the idea of it as it approached. Funny how life has a way of sneaking up on you. I've been blessed to be a stay at home mom for 37 years... so an empty nest is a major change in my life. Thankfully, I will forever be a mother, it is my greatest joy, but with the nest now empty, I can focus in a new direction. Still pondering... so many ideas... what to do, what to do.
All content created by Carolyn Bush | Copyright © 2010 - 2013
All Rights Reserved | This Grandmother's Garden
Highland, Utah, USA
