Been awhile since I’ve posted anything — sorry about that! Ramping up for “Back to School” (and then actually starting) seriously affected my ability to focus on anything.
I started getting my ‘focus’ back this week, though — specifically, in my garden.
This particular caterpillar was one of many that decided it was time to suspend himself from a handy stem and start metamorphosis. Within a mere couple of hours, he’d transformed himself into a dead-leaf look-alike — much like this one from a couple years ago:
Unfortunately, there are so very many caterpillars on that vine these days, the entire thing looks dead. It’s a trade-off, I guess: ugly vine for beautiful butterflies.
Enjoy! Hopefully I’ve got my schedule under control now, and I’ll be posting a bit more frequently.
(Oh — and for those who’ve got kids and are following the “discussions” about President Obama’s speech to the students next Tuesday, I even managed to get a political post up at the Chronicle. Don’t go there, though, if your tinfoil hat is too snug… LOL!)
Welcome back from the ‘unblogging dead’, Polimom. Don’t get rid of that branch, whatever else you do, OK? 🙂 Gorgeous pix!
Your focus is definitely back!
~EdT.
I wonder … a stupid wonder, maybe … if these critters have thoughts. Do they think, “Now, I’m metamorphosizing myself into what will appear to be a dead leaf, but eventually I will become a gorgeous butterfly.”
Do you think there’s any kind of pain – as ‘we’ know pain – involved? Do you think there might be some sort of ‘miraculous realization’ going on within their bodies as they begin a sort of dying process, only to be born again – anew – and beautiful?
(Too much time on my hands this afternoon, methinks, but yet … I wonder.)
Thanks, Goldenrod and EdT!
Goldenrod, interesting idea. Dunno if they have “thoughts”, per se, but I do suspect there’s some pain involved in this transition. In the early stage (top photo), I could actually see pulsations going on. As the chrysalis hardens, they start to writhe and thrash about. And as they change is happening inside the chrysalis itself, the entire thing sways and moves around.
Not sure it’s necessarily pain as we’d experience it, but it looks mighty uncomfortable nonetheless.
Wonderful pictures Polimom. I am very impressed.