Something super awesome happened last week! Our "pet" moth came out of his cocoon!
It had been so long that we picked up this caterpillar
I was starting to give up and beginning to think that it's fate was not good and that it would likely end in nothing the way our last "pet butterfly" did.
So, here's the story...I was walking to pick Violet and Henry up from school last October and came across the biggest caterpillar I had ever seen. Naturally, I picked it up to show the kids at school.
We then brought it home to show Daddy and put him in our bug corral until he got home, but did not plug the corral. He escaped, but then climbed back in, so we stuffed some leaves in and plugged the corral up for a short while so that we could share him with Daddy...
After we showed him off, we unplugged the corral and then left him near some bushes in our yard before heading out of town for the weekend. When we came back we were surprised to find this...
A cocoon in our bug corral! Very exciting! So, the corral moved indoors to live on our kitchen window sill over the winter and into the Spring. I glanced at it nearly every time I went into the refrigerator, but nothing. Until...one day last week Violet remarked, what's that?!
Low and behold, something came out of our cocoon! We thought it was supposed to be a luna moth. It turns out it's a Polyphemus Moth.
One of the best ways to start a morning I think...
Interesting fact..."Adults of this family of moths have vestigial
mouths, meaning their mouth parts have been reduced. Because of this,
they do not eat and only live as adults for less than one week." Weird, huh.
"The most notable feature of the moth is its large, purplish eyespots on its two hindwings. The eye spots are where it gets its name – from the Greek myth of the Cyclops Polyphemus."
I'm thinking that ours was a male (apparently males have very bushy antennae)
Anywho...it was super super cool...so I thought I'd share!
Have a great day!
PS...don't forget today is the last day to link up your Covert Robin gift posts!!
