Friday, December 17, 2010

Eastern Black Swallowtail Pupae in the Snow

Yesterday, I rescued two of several of our Eastern Black Swallowtail pupae that are overwintering on our front porch. Over the weekend, we had a blizzard where 22" of snow fell!!! It did not just cover the grass, driveway, and street--it also accumulated on our porch, totally burying two butterflies in the making.

Yes, one is brown, while the other is green. Several butterfly species, like the Cabbage Whites, too, can pupate to camouflage themselves in this dormant, defenseless stage. Yet another gift the Creator has given to even one of His tiniest creations! --LKR

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Looky Looky!


Yesterday, as I was cleaning off my car in swirling snow flurries, I found this a frozen caterpillar on our driveway!!! We've had a beautiful, warm fall, so they must be confused. A few weeks ago, I had seen more of these, as well as some of our overwintering Wooly Bear caterpillars that were crawling around! --LKR