0 2008-07-22T14:13:23Z false A few days ago I was watering everybody before leaving for work and noticed two tiny caterpillars hanging out on Rod but was in a hurry so I didn't think too much of them and left. I figured I could pick them off later and put them in the front "yard" where they can munch all they want on whatever the heck ends up growing there, but I forgot about them. So maybe two days later, I come home to find all my plants wilting from heat and dehydration, and Rod is now home to only one caterpillar. One big, fat, hungry caterpillar who chowed down on almost all of his nice healthy leaves. There are a few left, but they don't look as healthy. He was clinging to the biggest remaining leaf's stem, and I couldn't get him off without risking squishing his guts out. So I got out my pocket knife, snipped the stem (trying not to cry) and hurled the caterpillar, still clinging to his last meal, off the roof and into the alley between our house and the neighbor's. I shouldn't have been so mad at the guy, he didn't mean anything by devouring Rod, he was just trying to do his thing. I feel kind of bad, especially since it turns out he was a black swallowtail caterpillar, and I love those things. He was pretty awesome in larval stage, too, putting out his orange "horns" at me when I pinched his squishy body and tried to pry it from the stem. I should have at least thrown him into the yard; he's probably fallen into the neighbors' trash bins or gotten eaten by a cat. Oh well. I think Rod will be okay anyway. 0 false 23975 false false false Entry 21896 Planting 2008-07-22T00:00:00Z DMY Public 2008-07-22T14:13:24Z 3146 Overcast 85 F