Just once, part 24


My one and only encounter with this species was just under 11 years ago, and while I wouldn’t mind seeing it again, I’d prefer not to find it the way that I did. This is the larva of a saddleback caterpillar moth (Sibine stimulea,) and those contrasting colors are there for a reason – somewhat self-defeating given that the species likes being on the undersides read more

Visibly different, part 34

This week we have another current set of images, all taken within a few days and since last week’s offering.

One of the many things that we planted this year was tomatoes, and started a serious number of tomato vines in various locations. As always, the hornworms eventually discovered these and started doing their damage – in this case it was the tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta, read more

Lessons learned


Almost two weeks ago, I spotted a couple of curious caterpillars on the undersides of some redbud leaves, right alongside the porch. Getting a good view of them required a particular angle, and I slid my legs off the porch into some deep weeds under the tree to crouch underneath my subjects. Soon afterward, I developed a sharp stinging sensation in my calf, similar to a honeybee read more

Closer than you ever wanted



My mother is actually getting a kick out of hearing stories about our little vegetable patch, because when I was growing up she had to threaten me with no more Star Wars toys, ever, if I didn’t get out and help with the garden. In my defense, our current patch is very small, nothing at all like the half-acre we’d planted in my youth, and our present plants read more