Even more babies!

Last week I noticed a Yellow-striped Armyworm moth laying eggs on the blacklight sheet. I knew it would damage the eggs if I tried to remove them, so I decided to just watch and see what happened. About 5 or 6 days later I noticed that the tops of the eggs looked black, the caterpillars were just about ready to hatch. Within an hour or so I began to see tiny caterpillars wiggling around! The first thing caterpillars do after they hatch is to eat their eggshell, it is good protein that should not go to waste.


If you have ever watched a brown and black Wooly Bear caterpillar scurry across a road and wondered what it would turn into, here is the answer! It becomes an Isabella Tiger Moth! I finally got one to settle down long enough on the sheet that I could photograph it. I liked the bright orange legs!


The past couple of weeks I have also noticed a pair of Cardinals hanging around one of the big boxwood shrubs by the carport. Today I got up on my stepstool and peered into the nest. I was happy to see 2 bluish-green eggs with brown splotches in it! So the birds are starting on round 2 for babies! It will be fun to watch them hatch and grow. :)