From Caterpillar to Moth

Back in December, Rocky discovered a bright green caterpillar on the floor of our kitchen. We scoured the internet and our butterfly identification books, but couldn't pinpoint the species of caterpillar we had suddenly decided to adopt.

 It was an important detail to pin down: different species require different plants for food. At first, wee hedged our bets with some bramble, grass, and nettles, but fortunately, we soon found out what it was through a very helpful website run by Steve Ogden, called Wildlife Insight.

Angle Shades Moth Caterpillar

So apparently, we were on the right track with our brambles and nettles, and before long, we had a cocoon!

According to Steve's site, it would be about 20 days until we got a moth. The jar sat on a shelf in my kitchen, in front of my cookbooks. I looked in on the cocoon every day, in between our full-on attention with our new puppy.

This is a bit more exciting than a cocoon!

But lo and behold, on the 18th of January, the one-inch long brown capsule had turned into a fully fledged, speckly angle moth!

Behold: the cycle of nature!

So thanks to Steve's great website, Rocky's keen eyes for spotting the creature on the floor, and our patience to see the project through.