Degrees of Strangeness

Bugs are so amazingly different from human beings that they almost all seem like they should have come from another planet. Looks, behavior - they are so alien to us. But among the weirdest of all have to be caterpillars. Caterpillars could enter the International Bizzaro Pageant and every year at least five of the ten finalists would probably be caterpillars, and a caterpillar would almost always walk away with the crown. A lot of them look like they were put together by a kindergartener out of leftover craft materials, they move like... well, like they move, and that whole metamorphosis thing - do you KNOW what happens during metamorphosis? Have you ever stopped to wonder how a caterpillar, which in almost every respect looks completely different from a moth or butterfly, BECOMES a moth or butterfly? Well, I'll tell you some day, and if you even believe me - it's that weird - you will be shocked. And possibly kind of grossed out.

So I am sure you know where this is leading: Backyard Bug of the Day:

 One of the weirder caterpillars we get around here. And I think those spines are venomous. I think this is a white marked tussock moth caterpillar. This is a fairly smallish one - well, maybe medium sized, but it definitely has some growing to do. The lovely background, by the way, is my garbage can - this little critter was doing laps around the rim.

Caterpillars in general don't have very good vision, but this one...

While we're on the subject of caterpillars, you remember the bird poop caterpillar I have been monitoring? Also known as The Least Hungry Caterpillar in the World? It's still spending most of its time just sitting there on the leaf, but today I saw it eat a little bit!

 When I got close with the camera it stopped eating, so I had to go away so it would eat more. It does look like it has grown, but it's still weird that this caterpillar that once, when it was smaller!, at a whole leaf in one day, now just nibbles a few bites. I mean, mostly what caterpillars do with their time is eat. Eat and poop. This one doesn't seem to do much of either (though I think that is a piece of frass in the next picture, and even that is small for a caterpillar this size, and I can't believe I even think I know something like that...

 Anyway, there were two weird things about this caterpillar today besides the fact that it was eating, and one was that it was sitting in a different spot on its leaf than it as been lately - about an inch away. The other is that it seems to be levitating off of the leaf...

When I was finally able to get a good shot I saw that it was sitting on a net of silk a little bit above the leaf. That is how lazy this caterpillar is - it spends all of its time lying around in a hammock! Well, to be fair, it is summer. And it had to make the hammock itself. But how is this caterpillar ever going to turn into anything else if it doesn't eat!?!

Speaking of caterpillars, I actually caught a glimpse of two monarch butterflies today! One was just zooming past (they can fly really fast sometimes!), but the other was lifting off from the backyard milkweed patch when I spotted it. I didn't get a close enough look to see if it was female, but I hope it was, and she was laying eggs!

I also saw a greater spangled fritillary (no, I am not making that up. That is its name), which at first I thought was another monarch, but it wasn't, which was a little disappointing, since it was also among the milkweed, and I really want monarchs to lay eggs in my yard, but greater spangled fritillaries are cool too (Today's blog brought to you by Run-on Sentences!). Sadly, it declined to have its picture taken.

Okay, from here on out this blog is going to be random and disorganized, because that's how my notes are today.

Backyard Amphibian of the Day:

A toad; cute, but kind of surly.

I'm still trying to get a good shot of those grass flowers:

I think here at least you can see the components. It's one of the strangest flowers I have ever seen. And so unbelievably tiny.

More milkweed!

 Right now I have the front window open, and it's breezy outside, and I can smell the delightful perfume of the milkweed wafting into the room...

 This plant has buds in several stages.

Hmmm... today's blog is going to be very plant-centric...

Catalpa tree in bloom:

And speaking of plants, Backyard Bud of the Day:

I call it nemesis, but it's actually a kind of nightshade.

I think this is meadow rue:

 It's really tall.

I found another ladybug pupa:

 A different species - there are many. The color in real life was a more brilliant orange than this looks in the picture. It has no markings like the others did, and is smaller than they were.

This file number has no accompanying note, so I don't know what's coming next...

Ah. I wasn't sure I should add this. It's a cocoonish thing of some kind (maybe spider eggs?) in my garbage can.

Seeds. I have no idea what they grow into.

Backyard Birds of the Day:

Sigh. I know. I only ever seem to see birds when I have the macro lens on the camera, never the telephoto. These are cute, little woodpeckers of some kind that appeared to be courting.

Speaking of courting:

Let's see, what else have I got for you today...

 Ah. An interesting leaf.

 A black-eyed Susan coming into bloom.

Wow, I took a lot of pictures today, of a lot of things. When did I have time to do this - I was busy all day!

Wasp.

Well, that's everything but the spiders. I found a couple of really odd ones today...
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Arachnid Appreciation!

 I have seen these spiders in my yard in past years, and I just think they are so bizarre, but also so cool. I hope at some point I can get a picture of one from the other side (this is the bottom side - its upside down on the web), because they are even weirder from above. Though now that I think of it, spiders live so three dimensionally, why do I consider a particular side top or bottom? Anyway, here you go, cool spiders.

 I actually saw two of the same kind of spider today, and this second one had some prey (and was also 'upside down').

I know I have posted this kind before, but it was so funny I had to post again.