{semi} wordless wednesday: butterfly garden.

it's wednesday, again.  i'm going to talk about bugs, again. you know, because it's what i do on wednesdays {see here, here & here for proof}.

our dill plant is pretty popular these days. earlier in the week, we noticed a couple of caterpillars on it. as of this week, there are six caterpillars on the plant. we think they're black swallowtail larva. adam & the kids want to bring the larva inside to protect them from the birds. i said no. what do you think?

we're anxiously awaiting the formation of the first chrysalis. i can't wait to take pictures of it. i swear, our garden is not only providing us with food, but it's providing us with our very own science lesson {because the life cycle of a butterfly is part of my state's education curriculum}!

speaking of butterflies, how excited was i when i saw a monarch butterfly on our butterfly bush?!

we've also noticed two hummingbirds recently at the butterfly bush, but this post is about bugs, not birds.  so far, our backyard is becoming a place of discovery. seriously, i could take pictures of the bugs all day long. there are spiders, too, but i'll wait until our garden spiders get bigger...trust me...they get HUGE.

my kids are very excited about the caterpillars. i am, too. i can't wait to share more pictures with you all, especially when they emerge from their cocoons as butterflies!

oh, and remember when i posted pictures of the "mystery bug" or the humming-bumble-shrimp? well, we learned {thanks to google} that it is a hummingbird moth {there are three varieties...ours is a snowberry clearwing hummingbird moth...what a mouthful!}. we saw a few more at the butterfly bush over the weekend...they are neat to watch!

The 40 Year Old Caterpillar

Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" turned 40.

http://www.momlogic.com/2009/03/very_hungry_caterpillar_turns_40.php

Even Google paid homage to that hungry caterpillar:

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is one of many Eric Carle books that my children have in their library. We were fortunate enough to visit the Eric Carlie Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts back in 2006 when my sister lived in Easthampton, MA. The kids had a blast in the art lab and Adam & I enjoyed looking at the different exhibits. It was fun to see the illustrations from quite a few of the books that he and I enjoyed when we were little. It truly is a neat place to visit!

M & A in front of the Eric Carle VW Beetle parked in
front of the museum.

M & A making art with Daddy at the Eric Carle
Museum of Picture Book Art

Eric Carle's books are, in my opinion, an essential part of any childhood library. His stories convey a message and the brightly colored illustrations engage the reader. You don't get tired of reading his stories and they seem to find a special place in your heart -- so you will never forget them.

Happy birthday, Mr. Caterpillar, and thank you to Eric Carle for giving us such a classic book that will surely be treasured for 40 (and more!) years to come!