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Posted By: Meg An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 09:30 AM
Ok, not sure if you remember me posting a pic of the really fuzzy caterpillar I found in the yard. Here's a refresher..
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Kids put it in their bug catching gear, and it spun a cocoon. Tonight, they noticed this emerged!
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We let him go. It was sooo cool! He just kinda clung to the cage for awhile, then he was fluttering his wings really fast, but not leaving. Finally, after awhile, he was fluttering again, and finally took off! He flew up to the street light by our house, then off across the street & into the darkness. It was cool!

Secondly! Remember all those spiky caterpillars I found in my pansies?
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Well, I do belive this butterfly crysalis is thiers, simply because it's got these gold looking spikes all over it, and that would make me think it was a spiky caterpillar! Check it out!
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I'm so psyched!! I hope this one hatches out ok, and we get to see a pretty butterfly!
Meg
Posted By: Anonymous Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 09:35 AM
Very cool pictures Meg--glad you caught it transforming like that...Make sure you show us the outcome of the spiky one....
Posted By: Meg Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 09:47 AM
Ok, I looked up info on the white moth.. and here is what I found..
Acrea Moth, Tiger moths .
Posted By: Triss Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 09:53 AM
Awesome pics! I hope you get the butterfly.
Posted By: Merme Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 09:56 AM
Thanks for the photos, Meg. Fascinating.

They have to flutter their wings like that when they first emerge in order to dry them. The wings are wet from the cocoon and they can't fly until the wings dry. Which is why you should never touch their wings when they first come out. They are so fragile right then, before drying, that a gentle touch can damage them so that they can't fly...


Merme
Posted By: Meg Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 10:03 AM
We didn't want to touch him, if we could help it. I did just barely give him a nudge, to let him know the cage was open. Once he climbed out.. we left him go, and just observed. It was really neat!
Posted By: Triss Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 10:09 AM
That is such a great experience for the kids too. They gain such respect when they see nature in action!
Posted By: MissJamie Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 10:44 AM
woah that is soooo kewl! they look really really neat! did ya'll put any food for it in there or anything in there for it? man ya'll were so lucky to have had the oportunity to see something that cool!
Posted By: Meg Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 11:01 AM
Yea, when I found this really fuzzy guy crawling around my garden hose, I scooped him up with some grass, and the kids put like a lid from something with some water in it for it to be able to get a drink. But, within a day or 2, it had already started going into it's cocoon. We found those other spiky caterpillars, and they tossed them in there with the cocooned one, and sure enough, we see at least 1 crysalis in there! thumbup I hope we have as much luck with the butterfly as we did with the moth! grinnnn

Meg
Posted By: Anonymous Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 06:38 PM
Awesome pics,Meg thumbup The moth was beautiful!

Can't wait to see what emerges from the other cocoon.

G-Mom grinnnn
Posted By: JV Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 08:01 PM
Meg those are great photo's glad you were able to cathc this transformation your kids just got a good education there as well as me. I enjoyed that a lot. Hope your others turns out well. thumbup
Jimmy
Posted By: tkhooper Re: An awesome sight! - August 7th, 2005 at 10:20 PM
So far just the regular type moths have found my garden but they sure do like the zinnias lol. Which is fine with me really lol.
Posted By: Meg Re: An awesome sight! - August 9th, 2005 at 08:36 PM
It looks like a crysalis may be trying to hatch soon. It's shaking a wee bit. thumbup grinnnn

Meg
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