Fascinating article James. It is interesting that I can see a caterpillar and sometimes forget that they will eventually transform into a butterfly. This is one area of Nature that I do not have much knowledge at all and it is interesting to learn new identifications and traits of insects. On a related note, we have reports on ebird of Yellow-billed Cuckoos up here in Ottawa Canada - a rarity for the area. Thanks for sharing.
I hope you see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Neil—such fascinating and comely creatures. And I hope you get pictures to write about! They have a great song too, along with Black-billed. Many parts of Nature it’s easy to see and kind of just move on from, like caterpillars, but like anything if you know why they’re worthy of appreciation it’s hard not to. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Insects are splendidly interesting - I studied entomology half a century ago but was then sidelined into other biological fields of interest … there are so many.
A rabbit hole of rabbit holes—just when one has a monopoly on your attention, another flaunts its curiosities. Birds have had me for a long time, but when you’re out looking for birds there is so much else to look at & learn about.
I have come to love bald-faced hornets - we call them “housekeeping” because most of the summer one (and only one) would come to our tent flaps starting in the early morning (we learned to let them in), and then all throughout the day. Their mission? Cleaning up (eating) all the flies and tiny insects that would congregate at the top of the tent pole (it is a canvas bell tent). The first few times they entered the tent, I told them decisively they did not belong, and shooed them out by flapping a large tupperware lid to make it windy enough for them to fly out the door. A day or two later I was doing yoga and couldn’t be bothered, and noticed they easily found their way out again (unlike the black flies). Then we both noticed how clean the tent was every night. And then we saw them chasing and eating flies. I understand they are labeled as aggressive, and stings are no fun, but I am inclined to think it is like most buzzing ones - it’s proximity to the nest or a one-off untimely intersection - rather than their mission to cause a bother. We’ve noticed this with yellow jackets too, and are inclined to place tiny pieces of whatever protein we are eating aside for them, when they come around to inspect what we are consuming. 😊
What a great story to shift human perspective on hornets! My common denominator is if an animal messes with me somehow, I was the problem. If we just coexist, we all benefit—no reason to associate them with potential harm when that potential is minimal and would likely be our fault anyway
Wonderful article, James, footnotes included. Yesterday, I crossed paths with a fuzzy caterpillar on the trail who was clearly intent on getting somewhere. I’m still looking into the species id. It was orange in the center and black on either end. Did you happen to read Oliver Sack’s writing on ferns? He is also a writer known for his footnotes. Thank you again for a great photo essay.
A woolly bear it is! I researched it, including the folklore around it about being a predictor of the winter weather based on the ratio of orange to black. Thank you, James.:)
Essays are my favorite form of writing too. E.B. White is my favorite essayist. Good quote from him:
"The essayist is a self-liberated person, sustained by the belief that everything they think about, everything that happens to them, is of general interest. They are a person who thoroughly enjoys their work, just as people who take bird walks enjoy theirs. Each new excursion of the essayist, each new “attempt,” differs from the last and takes them into new country. This delights them."
White is fantastic. I wrote a little about One Man’s Meat a little bit ago. I am glad to see somebody else thinks of White first as an essayist, not just for Charlottes Web
Thank you for mentioning my article! I appreciate that! I'm always happy to hear about someone discovering the beauty of the insect world- and with insects (and arthropods generally) you never run out of amazing discoveries- I've been fascinated by them since I was about 3 years old, and if I live to be 93 I'll still be at it! But of course, one strand of natural history leads on to another, so one ends up also studying birds, botany and marine life....
James, a fascinating read on caterpillars and butterflies. Thank you for the enlightening read.
Thank you Pamela. Very glad you enjoyed it and appreciate you sharing it with your subscribers & followers
Fascinating article James. It is interesting that I can see a caterpillar and sometimes forget that they will eventually transform into a butterfly. This is one area of Nature that I do not have much knowledge at all and it is interesting to learn new identifications and traits of insects. On a related note, we have reports on ebird of Yellow-billed Cuckoos up here in Ottawa Canada - a rarity for the area. Thanks for sharing.
I hope you see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Neil—such fascinating and comely creatures. And I hope you get pictures to write about! They have a great song too, along with Black-billed. Many parts of Nature it’s easy to see and kind of just move on from, like caterpillars, but like anything if you know why they’re worthy of appreciation it’s hard not to. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Insects are splendidly interesting - I studied entomology half a century ago but was then sidelined into other biological fields of interest … there are so many.
A rabbit hole of rabbit holes—just when one has a monopoly on your attention, another flaunts its curiosities. Birds have had me for a long time, but when you’re out looking for birds there is so much else to look at & learn about.
I have come to love bald-faced hornets - we call them “housekeeping” because most of the summer one (and only one) would come to our tent flaps starting in the early morning (we learned to let them in), and then all throughout the day. Their mission? Cleaning up (eating) all the flies and tiny insects that would congregate at the top of the tent pole (it is a canvas bell tent). The first few times they entered the tent, I told them decisively they did not belong, and shooed them out by flapping a large tupperware lid to make it windy enough for them to fly out the door. A day or two later I was doing yoga and couldn’t be bothered, and noticed they easily found their way out again (unlike the black flies). Then we both noticed how clean the tent was every night. And then we saw them chasing and eating flies. I understand they are labeled as aggressive, and stings are no fun, but I am inclined to think it is like most buzzing ones - it’s proximity to the nest or a one-off untimely intersection - rather than their mission to cause a bother. We’ve noticed this with yellow jackets too, and are inclined to place tiny pieces of whatever protein we are eating aside for them, when they come around to inspect what we are consuming. 😊
What a great story to shift human perspective on hornets! My common denominator is if an animal messes with me somehow, I was the problem. If we just coexist, we all benefit—no reason to associate them with potential harm when that potential is minimal and would likely be our fault anyway
Wonderful article, James, footnotes included. Yesterday, I crossed paths with a fuzzy caterpillar on the trail who was clearly intent on getting somewhere. I’m still looking into the species id. It was orange in the center and black on either end. Did you happen to read Oliver Sack’s writing on ferns? He is also a writer known for his footnotes. Thank you again for a great photo essay.
Thank you Heidi. Sounds like a wooly bear caterpillar? I have always known I need to read more Sacks—ferns might be the push I need
A woolly bear it is! I researched it, including the folklore around it about being a predictor of the winter weather based on the ratio of orange to black. Thank you, James.:)
Essays are my favorite form of writing too. E.B. White is my favorite essayist. Good quote from him:
"The essayist is a self-liberated person, sustained by the belief that everything they think about, everything that happens to them, is of general interest. They are a person who thoroughly enjoys their work, just as people who take bird walks enjoy theirs. Each new excursion of the essayist, each new “attempt,” differs from the last and takes them into new country. This delights them."
White is fantastic. I wrote a little about One Man’s Meat a little bit ago. I am glad to see somebody else thinks of White first as an essayist, not just for Charlottes Web
Incredible photos as always. I’ve never seen caterpillars like these.😳
Thank you Teyani. Now hopefully you see one of these caterpillars!
Very interesting and engrossing James. Really enjoyed reading this
I am glad, Shital—thank you!
Thanks! This was great fun and educational!
Thank you John, glad you enjoyed reading!
Thank you for mentioning my article! I appreciate that! I'm always happy to hear about someone discovering the beauty of the insect world- and with insects (and arthropods generally) you never run out of amazing discoveries- I've been fascinated by them since I was about 3 years old, and if I live to be 93 I'll still be at it! But of course, one strand of natural history leads on to another, so one ends up also studying birds, botany and marine life....
Thank you for writing the articles that you do, Cody. There is so much beauty and adaptation in the insect world that is too often overlooked
Wow your picture of the painted lady is phenomenal! Such a lovely article, the art of noticing is a beautiful thing indeed
Thank you Amaranta!