I had to wait for the second to youngest, Junior, to get big enough to bring inside (I'm raising them in a terrarium because there are a lot of birds in our area), and then I lost track of him when he was still brown and spiny. We found him again today; he's big, green, and adorable, and he's almost ready to make his cocoon. While pulling Junior out of the herb garden outside my bedroom window, I noticed yet another caterpillar. She's small enough to fit through the slats in the top of the container I keep them in, so she'll have to stay outside. I call her Mini.
I've been raising these guys since I was eight or nine. The first year, we started with fifteen and about five survived. The next year, we only had two or three. One lived; his name was Carter. I dunno what it is. These butterflies keep coming back to our humble abode. I can't say I mind though. It's amazing watching them change. Maybe it's some sort of cell memory that tells the survivors that they'll be safe here. Like I said, I really have no idea, but it's a blessing to be able to work with living beings and then let them go on their own to live their lives as beautiful creatures of nature.
~ Oasis
[b:31355a7003]Nelson[/b:31355a7003] [i:31355a7003]The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.[/i:31355a7003] [b:31355a7003]Henderson[/b:31355a7003]
Scatter your seeds.[/color:31355a7003]
[b:31355a7003]Nelson[/b:31355a7003] [i:31355a7003]The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.[/i:31355a7003] [b:31355a7003]Henderson[/b:31355a7003]
Scatter your seeds.[/color:31355a7003]
