Pillar Place 2009

And what's a butterfly? At best,
He's but a caterpillar, at rest. ~ John Grey

So... after our massive rainstorm, it finally cleared up after lunch (and actually got hot and ridiculously humid -- apparently there is no in between). I decided to take a turn around the yard to check things out.

Between swatting at VERY hungry mosquitoes, and admiring how much my veggie garden has grown (we won't talk about how much the WEEDS have grown... *sigh*), I decided to check out the rue -- the only plant we have that black swallowtail will eat since my parsley and dill didn't come back this year.

And after a close inspection I found ONE pillar. It was teeny and I'm still amazed I even saw it. I fetched DD and showed her and she all but came out of her skin. We went back inside and pulled out all the pillar supplies from the basement, grabbed a pair of scissors and went to get our fella.

But... as always, DD has far sharped eyes than I do, and we came in with more than one "fella".

So, welcome to Pillar Place 2009:



We have NINE pillars currently, though I'm sure that number will grow as it always does. I'm thrilled to have them on rue, however, as it's the sturdiest of all the plants the pillars will eat, and easiest to handle.

I suggested naming them alphabetically this year, so we have: Abigail, Bugsy, Carole, Diana, Ethel, Fiona, Greg, Hannah, Ichabod and Jane (for my mom). We put masking tape behind each container in the box:



I'm telling you what, though... these critters are itty bitty. If they didn't hatch yesterday, then they are only a day or two old and I'm amazed they made it through that violent storm. Nature constantly amazes me.

Check it out:



What? You can't see him? Here's DD pointing to him -- see how big her fingertip looks next to him? Click on the pictures to make them MUCH bigger, and you'll see them.



And here is another:



Is it any wonder I didn't see all nine? LOL...

Funny thing was, DH saw us cutting the branches with the pillars and asked what we were doing.

We said, "There are swallowtail babies."

He said, "Why don't you leave them outside?"

We said, "We raise them every year -- it's fun, and they have a better chance of survival."

He said, "You do?"

Um... yeah... it's not like we've kept it hidden!! Observant much? Cracked me up.

DD is determined to look for more today. I need another Avon box... too bad I don't sell Avon anymore!

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You Are Medium Maintenance

Like everyone else, you have some things you are particular about. You're not too annoying about it, and you're able to go with the flow most of the time. You've learned to stand your ground on what matters but also make compromises from time to time. You have good taste. Too bad not everyone shares it.

Are You High Maintenance?

Okay.... I'm good with that.

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