I've been slowly moving things back into the house now that the floor and painting are done. My arthritis has not been too cooperative lately so it's slow going. I was bringing in one of the area rugs from the shed today when I spotted this bright green blob on the ground. Closer inspection revealed a very interesting caterpillar. Of course I immediately abandoned my decorating pursuits, ran inside and pulled out the "bug book" and my camera. Lo and behold I had come upon a Luna Moth caterpillar- wow!! I was hoping I'd be able to convince him (?) to weave his cocoon in my flower pot, but no such luck. He has decided to crawl off the deck and spend the night on the cover of our grill. This does not seem to be a good idea to me, but I am not a caterpillar so what do I know?! Well, wherever he wanders from here, I will always have the memory of the afternoon he graced my Petunias for a few hours.
@httpgeffed Thanks Colleen! We are heading into the part of the year that it always bothers me the most, but that's the way it goes! However, discoveries like this always help to get my mind off it!
Great capture! I love the deep greens and the macro details. Good spotting. Arthritis is such a pain - literally. I hope the pain reduces or goes away soon.
@taffy Thank you Taffy! I had several different shots that were quite striking at the different parts of his "journey" today, but this one I liked the best. With arthritis you have to learn to live with it- especially if you don't want to go the traditional medication route. That's the choice I've made and so far, I'm doing it. Some days are just better than others.
He has really vibrant pinpricks of colour on his body! Beautifully taken, Ann! John has arthritis too and doesnt' seem to remember to go to the chemist to get some relief!
@olivetreeann I have the same issue -- and know it will get worse, but agree re the medications! Not worth side effects...hang in there and wishing you the best.
Thank you so much to each and everyone of you! I am in the midst of packing and have two very busy days so in spite of wanting to, I know I must do a mass reply to all.
Thank you also to those who fav'd this shot and to those who took note of what a rare find this is. And for those who asked, he left the plant in this picture late Saturday afternoon and crawled off the deck and on to the grill cover where he stayed in various spots through the night. Yes, I did go out and check on him!! He was there this morning when we left for church, but we were out all day and when we came home, he was gone )o: But nature is not meant to be kept in bottles or man-made habitats, so I must let him go (or her- we don't really know!). From what we learned yesterday, this caterpillar had one more "molting" to go through before he went into the chrysalis stage. So he/she is probably off to find the proper spot to "undress", eat a little more and then do that fabulous mystical change from blob to one of the most amazing moths in the northern hemisphere (although as you can see the caterpillar stage is pretty spectacular too!
So thanks once again. I am off to finalize some things in my father's estate with my sister, hopefully meet up with a long time 365 friend and see the rainy, but lovely Fall foliage in Vermont. Hopefully I'll be able to check in and post, but at this moment I'm not sure how much.
Wow what a great find. after reading your caption and your comment I just had to google this fellow to see what a Luna moth would look like. never seen one that I know of.
Thank you Bruni! And thank you so much for the fav!!
Thank you Leslie! And thanks to you as well for the fav!! Yes, I still can't believe I actually spotted him on the ground.
Wow, I have never seen a Luna Moth caterpillar. Awesome! I rescued a Luna Moth with a broken wing about 11 yrs ago. He lived about a wk.....still have him though in a little box. They are so beautiful.
Wow!! Great catch! That proves you should never keep your eyes on one spot!! Great shot of the caterpillar! I have only seen a Luna Moth once and that was eons ago... I keep hoping to see one again. Now I want to find the caterpillar!! Do we even have them around here?? Well done! :)
Thank you so much to each and everyone of you! I am in the midst of packing and have two very busy days so in spite of wanting to, I know I must do a mass reply to all.
Thank you also to those who fav'd this shot and to those who took note of what a rare find this is. And for those who asked, he left the plant in this picture late Saturday afternoon and crawled off the deck and on to the grill cover where he stayed in various spots through the night. Yes, I did go out and check on him!! He was there this morning when we left for church, but we were out all day and when we came home, he was gone )o: But nature is not meant to be kept in bottles or man-made habitats, so I must let him go (or her- we don't really know!). From what we learned yesterday, this caterpillar had one more "molting" to go through before he went into the chrysalis stage. So he/she is probably off to find the proper spot to "undress", eat a little more and then do that fabulous mystical change from blob to one of the most amazing moths in the northern hemisphere (although as you can see the caterpillar stage is pretty spectacular too!
So thanks once again. I am off to finalize some things in my father's estate with my sister, hopefully meet up with a long time 365 friend and see the rainy, but lovely Fall foliage in Vermont. Hopefully I'll be able to check in and post, but at this moment I'm not sure how much.
Thank you Bruni! And thank you so much for the fav!!
Thank you Leslie! And thanks to you as well for the fav!! Yes, I still can't believe I actually spotted him on the ground.
@prttblues Thank you Bev! Yes, you do have them around here.