Just a cool dude in a loose mood

Pottering around in the garden this morning before it got too hot, I found this tiny monarch caterpillar sitting quietly under a milkweed leaf.  Of course, I plucked the leaf, put it in a floral tube of water and popped it into a safety enclosure.  But not before I got a few shots.  If you look closely, you will see that his wee "face" is loose which means he is about to shed his skin and transform into his next instar phase.  The skin is soft and they basically wriggle out of it, but the face is more of a "plate" and it gets loose and drops off.  Sometimes, I am able to find the tiny little face after it is shed.  Cool, geeky and ever-so-slightly creepy.

I had a very poor night of sleep so I took a nap middle of the day.  Then out to do a few things in the yard before I gave up.  All in all, a very lazy day.  But I did manage to get the big pollinator garden watered early this morning so it doesn't look so droopy now.

On the AOG front, things are bustling.  I think Team Chippie may well be out of medal contention in the Burrowing competition.  See Extra for a shot of Team Great Golden Digger Wasp with a brilliantly executed tunnel.  Details of AOG are posted HERE - please spread the word!

This is my final week of hosting TinyTuesday  Next month you will be in the capable and talented hands of Osuzanna.

Stay safe.  Wear a mask. Be kind.  Be loving.

xo
Debbi

And my trip to Columbia for photography has now officially been moved from Oct of this year to October 2021.  Expected this to be the case with the Covid situation, but still a bit of a disappointment.