Saturday, September 15, 2012

Ooh, an inchworm! And it's...orange.


Even though it wasn't doing much (beyond groping for the stem above where it sat on the edge of a leaf, but not actually going anywhere once it grabbed hold), this little thing certainly caught my eye as I was enjoying the view of my backyard from just inside my greatroom's glass door.


Been spending a lot of time there instead of on the decks. Far fewer mosquitoes inside than out. Luckily, I have a pretty nifty back yard and a great view from inside the window. But an orange inchworm was definitely worth the risk of going outside...


It's a caterpillar of a moth commonly called a "pug". Drab little things, the moths; their inchworms are much more interesting, especially this gold and chevron-ed beauty.


The book states that these larvae often match the color of their host (food) plant. But it is not known how they do it. Indeed, not a flower petal was nibbled, which you'd think would be the most obvious way to pick up that eye-aching orange of a Mexican sunflower....


Nice to know there is still magic in the world, and so well represented by one wee orange inchworm...


Friday, September 14, 2012

I'm really, really hoping...

...that my meter reader isn't afraid of spiders.



She's still there weeks after this photo and has two big egg cases now, too.