What are the chances of finding an albino Gulf Fritillary butterfly caterpillar? How about TWO of them?

Spitting caterpillars and sticks! What next? Have you had a caterpillar smear green fluid on your finger when you touched it? Or a walking stick to spit in your eye?

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Thanks so much ...

Two light green Gulf Fritillary caterpillars surprised me. After all, we've raised thousands and thousands of these little rascals. We KNOW they are orange with black spines. These were light green with black faces. These were about one week apart in age.

One finally pupated (that was a long week, I was so impatient) and the chrysalis was normal, as I expected. While waiting for this one to emerge, the second one ate and grew. It pupated almost a week later.

Then the day finally came. I expected the adult to look normal but wow! It was light with white eyes. We asked lepidopterists about it and was directed to one mounted light male Gulf Fritillary ... with black eyes. It's in a collection somewhere.

Captions suggested are;

1. Nymph says, "Hey! What did I miss?"

2. Bill: Geeez!!!! Hillary, do you see what you're putting on?
Hillary: Well, this is the last time I dress in the dark no matter how many times you tell me you need your beauty sleep. I thought I was reaching for my yellow pants suit, and her I am putting on this silly halloween costume.
Bill: Don't worry dear. I'm going back to sleep. And, when I wake up, I'm sure this will all have been a bad dream.

3. "Aw, Mom! Do I HAVE to thank Aunt Myrtle for the trousers? She ALWAYS buys them too big!"

4. "Emergence"

What is YOUR suggestion? The winner will receive a $20 gift certificate from the farm.

Be careful! A stick can spit in your eye. A Two-striped Walking stick, Anisomorpha buprestoides, can spit into your eye with deadly accuracy.

While moving boards in her yard this week, Ester saw a pair of walking sticks. She felt immediate pain in her eye and knew one had spit into her eye with fantastic aim.

Her eye was red, totally red, for the first day. The second day it was blood shot. Three days later it was no longer hurting but her vision was still blurry.

Mother had always told me that they'd spit in my eye and I sort of dismissed it. Mother knew best!

Yuck. It is worse than spit! What is that green stuff caterpillars leave on you? No, not from the rear end (frass) but from their mouths

Until next time, Edith, Stephen, Ester, Michelle, and the gang