They Just (sob) Grow Up So Fast
Caterpillars, that is. Beanie was crushed, devastated, to discover that the caterpillar she and her sisters found on Saturday has disappeared into a cocoon. All sisterly attempts to convince her that this is an achievement worth celebrating were utterly in vain.
“But I won’t SEE him anymore,” sobbed Bean.
Jane sought to reassure Beanie by Googling up an image of the moth-that-is-to-be.
“See?” she chirped. “This cute little reddish-brown moth, that’s what your caterpillar is going to look like when it comes out!”
I stared at the title of the page, my blood running cold.
“Um, honey? Where this says ‘Eastern Tent Caterpillar’—that’s our caterpillar?”
Jane nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, you know—the kind that makes those big nests in the trees.”
Suddenly Beanie isn’t the only one who feels like weeping…
Mungo says:
Our shopping town, about 15 minutes down the mountain, is covered with tent caterpillars – so much so that the critters made headlines in the local paper, complete with their very own huge, above-the-fold color photo. It’s like a late-night horror movie. I’m trying to be manly about this so I don’t put my dd off her nature studies, but…EWWWW!
On May 9, 2006 at 2:40 pm
Theresa says:
Oh, I am so sorry. We’ve had them in our cherry trees before. Not a pretty sight.
On May 9, 2006 at 4:51 pm
Elizabeth says:
Maybe you could remove the cocoon and put it in the trash once the children have gone to bed?
On May 10, 2006 at 6:11 am
Rebecca says:
You know, I saw these on our recent trip “down south” and wondered what they were in the trees. Now I know! Yikes!
On May 10, 2006 at 8:26 pm