It was a beautiful day today so Dan & I took the opportunity to get outside and work in the yard. Our garden is a bit of an overgrown mess but we are leaving it wild for the winter because of the critters that need the plant waste to survive the winters.
A critter I did notice today was this black caterpillar...
She (I decided it's a 'she') was having a grand time munching away on our carrot foliage. Some time investigating led me to believe that this is a Black Swallowtail caterpillar but in a fairly early stage. The plant it was on was very close to where my husband and I were working and I was afraid we might accidentally hurt it so I moved it to another carrot plant, further from harm's way...
This is where she stayed throughout the afternoon as it got cooler and cooler out. Being a bit worried about it surviving the night in 40 degree temps, I did a little more research and found out that it most likely would not survive such cold temps. Well, my only choice was to adopt it!
So, I now have a caterpillar living in a Mason jar on my desk. Tomorrow I will find more suitable accommodations for her as a quart-sized jar will simply not do for very long. Anyway, everything I've read on the internet says how easy it is to raise a caterpillar. I guess I'll find out!
A critter I did notice today was this black caterpillar...
She (I decided it's a 'she') was having a grand time munching away on our carrot foliage. Some time investigating led me to believe that this is a Black Swallowtail caterpillar but in a fairly early stage. The plant it was on was very close to where my husband and I were working and I was afraid we might accidentally hurt it so I moved it to another carrot plant, further from harm's way...
So, I now have a caterpillar living in a Mason jar on my desk. Tomorrow I will find more suitable accommodations for her as a quart-sized jar will simply not do for very long. Anyway, everything I've read on the internet says how easy it is to raise a caterpillar. I guess I'll find out!
