“A Little Egg Lay on a Leaf”

How many times have you read The Very Hungry Caterpillar aloud?

It’s got to be in the hundreds for me. Seems like every single one of my kids has had a time when that book was the favorite above all others.

But in all these years, I’ve never actually seen a real caterpillar egg—until now.

Can you see it? The little white dot on the underside of the leaf, quite near the stem. I watched the butterfly lay this egg and immediately afterward I ran inside for the camera, so this photo was taken no more than two minutes into the egg’s existence.

I hope the other caterpillars don’t eat that leaf. They are munching away and growing quite fat. We’ve counted up to eleven at one time but it’s likely we’re missing a good many. Counting callerpidders has become Rilla’s favorite thing to do. Mine too!

Butterfly watch: two monarchs, a tiger swallowtail, several painted ladies, and assorted sulphurs and cabbage whites. Also a possible viceroy sighting but Jane, my resident expert, wasn’t there to confirm.

As for our blue flower…Jenn, I was sure it was a cornflower too, but the rest of them are coming up—

pink!

(The color’s a bit washed out in this photo. The flower is really a soft shade of pale pink. Hmm….)