I had just picked a few grapes to add to my fruit salad yesterday and noticed a bare branch on the apricot tree. I thought that it was just a dead branch, but it wasn’t! Here is what I found at first glance:
Look at what I spied!
“What the heck are these creatures?” I asked myself? I still had to take more photos to share with you all…
A closer look
Another view
Full length view
Redhumped Catepillar
I came back inside and looked this critter up on the internet. It is a redhumped caterpillar! If you click on the photo above, you will see the little winky red hump!
A cluster on the cut branch
Red faces chewing, chewing, chewing.
Leaves disappearing, disappearing, disappearing.
Yellow bodies, stripped in white and red.
Bodies growing with each leaf shred,
Oh, to head on down the tree
What will I find that is for me?
A ground hard as could be,
For me to burrow in and make a cocoon in the winter dead.
And next year when the sun warms the earth,
In all proud glory I will emerge.
A brown moth that I will be,
To lay my eggs on the Apricot Tree!
Redhumped Moth – Photo by Peter J. Bryant
What lurks in your garden?
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Thank you for the link! This tree is the Blenheim Apricot….
Hi Barbara,
My house goes on the market next week. As soon as it sells, whenever that may be, I’ll be heading north with my two little dogs, Jean-Luc and Flynn. I’m aiming for Placerville-Diamond Springs-Shingle Springs, or possibly Cold Springs, Rescue, Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills. If you have any advice about those areas, I’d really appreciate it. I’ve heard the utility bills are higher in some places than others.
Thanks!
Marcy
My email is salmonfishingqueen@gmail.com. El Dorado Hills is a pricey area. Same with Cameron Park. Let me know by email what you are looking for. Where I live you can buy 2+ acres for around $250K with a house….Are you looking to live where there is a homeowner’s assn.; how close you want to be to your neighbors; in an area where you can get snow; how many bedrooms and baths…I will look and give you some ideas of what is around. It will be nice to meet you in person Marcy!
looks they are doing a mass attack 😉
They did! They started at the top of the branch and were working their way down!
Natures Art.
It is all around us if we only take the time to stop and look! Thanks for the comment PC!
Pure delight, Barbara! Thank you!
Marcy, still in Los Angeles, but not for long 🙂
Thank you for the comment Marcy! When are you heading up the hill? Keep me posted!
You made a poem out of your own art 🙂 Impressive!
Why thank you! Sometimes I do wax poetic!
Fantastic pics , I always enjoy reading your blog 🙂
Glad that you do Sunny! Thank you for the comment and for the compliment! I do appreciate it!
Wow that’s a lot of pesky caterpillars! I’ve been finding bugs in the garden and looking them up online as I haven’t a clue what they are. I like the pic you found of the actual moth and YOUR photos are fantastic!
Thank you!
Beautiful images Barb
Thanks Gaz!
Good poem, great pics!
At the moment there are hordes of snails. The British weather has been encouraging for them. Only recently the bees and the butterflies have surged into activity.
Thanks for the comment Alex! We are lucky that we do not have snails here, but we do have slugs! I fight with them over the strawberries… 😦 They have quite the sweet tooth!