This is why we need to be careful when we’re out cleaning the yard – You never know what you’ll uncover when you turn over a moss-covered rock! While this small little brown blob may not look like much now, come spring or summer, it will turn into the most lovely little blue butterfly. If you have enough of them living in your yard, it might actually look like a Disney fairytale scene :)

It looks like I’m going to need to start watching where I step in my house. Not because there are dog toys on the floor, or rugs waiting to trip me up (although it has been known to happen), but because I have extra critters roaming about. Large, fat, and theoretically grossly squishy if stepped on, caterpillars!

The adorable Woolly Bear Caterpillar brings a lot of fond memories for me. As a kid, I would always find these furry guys crossing the road when out for a dog walk or just going down the street to a friend’s house. Every fall. Without fail. And of course, being a good little nature lover, I would have to stop and carry each one to the other side of the road lol. I mean, I couldn’t let them get hit by a car, now could I!

Whoever said little moths were all brown and ugly clearly has never seen this lovely critter. This bright, boldly patterned creature looks more like a roll of batik fabric than a fragile little moth in my opinion. And it’s a moth that actually comes out during the day!

Remember back when you were a kid and your parents were freaking out about the gypsy moths destroying all their trees? Ok, well the late 80’s early 90’s since most of you reading this probably aren’t the same age as me… Gypsy moths were really a big concern when I was young. My parents wrapped black tar like sticky bands around all our trees to keep the caterpillar from climbing up. My siblings and I were taught what the egg masses, caterpillars, and moths looked like so they could be killed if…

I love parsley. Usually I try to plant a few parsley plants every year, but generally it ends up being no more than a handful of plants. This year, I managed to overwinter one single mature plant and have a few additional tiny seedlings. Despite only having one properly sized plant that could even possibly support something eating it - she found it. The Black Swallowtail found it again.

We’ve all heard the saying “lets talk about the birds and the bees”, right? Normally I love to talk about the bees (some of my absolute favorite critters), but what about the butterflies? Don’t the butterflies get any loving? Well yes, according to the photo I managed to snap, apparently they do!