Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Really Random Tuesday #95: Very Hungry Caterpillars and a Book Winner


These very hungry caterpillars are on a restricted diet.  Yesterday morning, I was pleased to find many caterpillars feasting on my milkweed plants, their only source of nutrition.  They devour the plants, which become quite bare after a while (though the leaves will grow back for future larvae, as long as the plants get some water).  A couple of years ago, while I was reading Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, I became keenly interested in monarch butterflies, as the book features them prominently; at the same time, my sister-in-law, Kristine, was posting on Facebook about monarch butterflies and her milkweed plants.  I was intrigued, and found plants for my garden from a local nursery and from Home Depot, and I also purchased milkweed seeds.  I  grow milkweed in pots now, though, because many of the plants I'd put into the earth would mysteriously disappear after a few days.  I learned at the nursery that gophers were probably stealing the milkweed I planted in the ground, pulling them underground by their roots.  Anyway, the hungry caterpillars start out as adorable, tiny creatures, and grow larger and plumper as they eat.  They're a bit cartoonish, as if they belong in a Dr. Seuss story, but some of them will form exquisite chrysalises, and the most fortunate ones will become beautiful monarch butterflies.

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Please help me to congratulate Pat from Posting For Now. She's won a copy of The Antigone Poems, a collection of poetry by Marie Slaight, with illustrations by Terrence Tasker.  Many congratulations, Pat!  I hope you will relish this book, which features striking poems and drawings.  Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway.  Please stay tuned for more giveaways, which I list on the right side of my blog.






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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of. Often I announce my book giveaway winners in these posts.  If you have miscellaneous book news to gather up and are inspired by this idea, "grab" the button for use on your own blog, and add your link to the "master" Mister Linky on the Really Random Tuesday page.  Thanks for stopping by!  Your comments are welcomed.

25 comments:

  1. I love that you grow milkweed for the caterpillars! You need to read The Butterfly's Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe.

    Congratulations Pat!

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  2. Oh - such a nice surprise! Thank you for the giveaway. I'm sure I will enjoy the The Antigone Poems, a collection of poetry by Marie Slaight, with illustrations by Terrence Tasker. Your butterfly story is very interesting. Enjoy your garden!

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  3. Lovely caterpillars!
    Congrats, Pat!

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  4. I don't why but caterpillars always give me the creepies. lol but I love butterflies with a passion.

    Congrats on your win Pat!

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    1. Darlene, the sight of these cuties feasting on my plants gives me joy. Thank you for stopping by! :)

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  5. So cool! Those caterpillars are huge. They definitely look like they're eating well!!! 😜

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  6. Congratulations to Pat!

    Those are great pictures of caterpillars. Them and the butterflies that they turn into are amazing creatures.

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  7. Congrats Pat! I don't have caterpillars in the garden, but we do have pesky wabbits!

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  8. Love your descriptions of your caterpillars and your photos! May they all become monarch butterflies and live a full life! They have such a long journey ahead of them, as we all do in life!

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  9. Those huge caterpillars! I always thought the journey they take is like a little miracle. Enjoy your week and congrats to the winner!

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  10. Congrats to Pat! I love you grow milkweed for your caterpillars, I used to love to hunt for milkweed and caterpillars around our family farm when I was growing up.

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  11. How extraordinary.

    I love butterflies. We get lots in our garden as they, along with bees, are attracted to a bush with large yellow flowers.

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  12. What a good idea to plant milkweed in pots. Never thought of that. Congrats on the caterpillars!

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  13. This is fascinating and such great photos. Thanks for posting.

    BTW - Congrats to Pat,

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  14. When I was a youngster and lived in the country I would find milkweed leaves that had chrysalises hanging on the underside of the leaves and bring them indoors and watch them hatch into butterflies. It was always an interesting thing to watch. Of course it took a few days before the butterfly appeared. I like your project of planting the milkweed plants and watch them grow and change into butterflies.

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  15. I was so caught up in Flight Behavior; I think it's my favorite Kingsolver book. That, and The Poisonwood Bible. But, I can see why you'd want to know more about Monarch butterflies after reading that.

    Congratulations to your winner!

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  16. I love how a book inspired you to do all of this!!! And I especially love sharing the pictures of your caterpillars with my little ones to enjoy as well :) I hope that you are having a wonderful summer! Sorry I haven't been around as much lately!

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  17. The ability of insects to fund their specific foods is one of the millions of wonders of the world

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  18. I love the pics of the caterpillars, we have had a few but I never see them transform. Congrats to the winner!

    Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

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  19. Wondering how the caterpillars are getting on and hoping your well

    Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

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  20. There is a tiny hairy white caterpillar on our milkweed plant, but it may not be a Monarch. We will see, when it gets bigger.

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