The New Boarder

Well, I adopted The Caterpillar. I wasn't going to do it. I adopted almost twenty monarch caterpillars (not all at once) two summers ago, and it was a great experience, but it was actually kind of stressful, for reasons I can't really explain (but the fact that I accidentally vacuumed one of them up when I was cleaning up frass has something to do with it. And also the amount of frass that had to be cleaned up...). And I like to let nature do its thing. But I have become really attached to The Caterpillar, and, well...

This happened:

This evening when I checked on The Caterpillar I found this praying mantis on a plant right next to its tree (it has been living on a sapling about as tall as me). This is a young mantis, but it is at least as big as The Caterpillar, and I have seen video of adult mantises attacking snakes and eating hummingbirds. I think this mantis, small as it is, could eat The Caterpillar. And last summer I got some video of a praying mantis eating a caterpillar. That was an adult mantis, but still. It was... gruesome (Click here to watch, if you have a strong stomach). There was also a daddy longlegs on The Caterpillar's tree. I don't know if they eat caterpillars, but I just couldn't deal with the idea of this caterpillar being eaten by a predator, so I cut the branch it was on off the tree and brought it in the house. It is now in my spare fish tank (minus water. Caterpillars can't swim).

Here's some other interesting news about The Caterpillar - aside from the fact that it ate the rest of that leaf from yesterday, and seems to have nibbled a few others. When I went to check on it today, it was gone. Now, I knew that it was possibly on another leaf eating, or had moved to a new leaf as a resting spot, because they do that, so I didn't panic, but it did take me a while to find it, because it had actually moved to a leaf on a completely different branch from the one where it had been. It had even built a new hammock. And, of course, all I saw it do at any point during the day when I walked by the tree and checked on it was sit on that hammock. I checked it out around midnight, and at around five o'clock in the morning (don't ask), thinking maybe it was more active at night, but no, it was just sitting on its leaf then (the original leaf). So somewhere between 5 a.m. and noon it ate half a leaf, walked clear to the other side of the tree, and made a new hammock. The it did nothing all afternoon and evening.

Here it is:

Still looking like a cartoon character. You can see a tiny bit of its face peeking out - it's like it has a hood. With a face on it. Obviously these pictures were taken when it was still outside.

You can see that the white mark on its back has almost disappeared, the last remnant of its former appearance. Also its skin is kind of wrinkly and loose, which gives it room to grow into it.

The Caterpillar is not the only green caterpillar blending in in the backyard at the moment (actually, strike that last bit, as The Caterpillar is now in my dining room):

Backyard Bug of the Day #1:

Caterpillars 'breathe' (that is, take in oxygen end expel carbon dioxide) through tiny holes in their sides called spiracles.

Backyard Bug of the Day #2:

A beetle, I think.

I posted a picture of this leaf the other day (yesterday? I don't remember):

They're going to need a new leaf soon.

I almost had a third BBotD today, but I decided these pictures aren't good enough. I still want to post them, though:

 It's an assassin bug. With legs that look like goofy, black and white striped tights. But check out that proboscis!

If you were a bug, this is how you would like to see an assassin bug - walking the other direction.

Okay, we've got mostly plants from here on out (Until it's time to appreciate some arachnids):

Backyard Bud of the Day:

Hosta. Most definitely NOT a wildflower.

It's getting to be time for some summer fruit:

 One blue blueberry.

Raspberry

I am not exactly sure what this is. I think the plant is amaranth, but I am not sure if these are the flowers, or what they are? Seeds? I don't know; all I know is all this was green a few days ago, and now it's pink:

There are a lot of plants going to seed:

 Clematis.

 Also clematis.

 I spotted this fruit/seed pod/whatever on a tree that I don't know the name of, and have never seen fruit on before. I touched it, and immediately regretted it - it was very sticky.

 Bedstraw

Seed cone of a black birch (see, I can identify some trees!)

Yesterday's Backyard Bud of the Day is blooming:

St. Johnswort

There's a fungus among us:

Now for some Arachnid Appreciation!
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I've got a spider and an Opilione  (hey, look, I learned a new word!)

 A really striking harvestman. I found out that harvestmen/daddy longlegs belong to an order of arachnids called Opiliones.

I haven't been seeing spiders around for a few days. I was happy to see this one. I'll bet you never heard anyone say that about a spider before.