Saturday, May 23, 2009

Virgin Tiger Moth



Rocky uneven ground characterizes the old field that is our yard. To increase his chances of avoiding the rock that could throw him to the ground, Ed has developed a gait that has him looking at the ground in front of him. He misses much that happens in the sky but every now and then he sees something special in the grass. Today this caterpillar crossed his path. A short ride in a bucket moved it to the stone where a decent picture was possible. Contact dermatitis can follow touching the bristles so we never touched the caterpillar. Our identification is questionable as there are many different species of Grammia in our neck of the woods. Our captive looks like the model pictured in the guide. The moth is colorful and would be worth seeing.




Meadow sage is a favorite here. Little else is in bloom now. Buttercups are in flower in untended areas. A plan to move this weed into the garden near the meadow sage was presented today. Blue and yellow look good together. We will wait and see if he can lever the long taproot of the buttercup out of the stony field.

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