Hungry Little Caterpillar!

Did you really think you would escape my caterpillar photos? We go each Friday to pick up locally-grown produce from a farm outside of Austin called Green Gate Farms. We belong to their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group. They are a nice group of people, and their produce is grown organically and certified all-natural. We could definitely attest to this link to nature when we arrived home last Friday toting more nature than we intended.

As I was divvying up our bountiful haul, half for my family and half for my parents, I glanced down and found this hungry little caterpillar on the strap of my bag. While some might have sent Mr. Hungry on a little trip down the drain, we couldn't resist capturing him and starting him off on a diet of broccoli greens and carrot tops.

The next morning, I opened the lid of the container (ventilated, mind you...we'd hate to asphyxiate the poor little thing!) and went searching for him. To my surprise, he was much smaller than I remembered. As I started sorting through the foliage, I came across the original caterpillar! It seems the small one I found had been too little to notice on day one, but he has been growing steadily ever since. So, Mr. Hungry has found some company...or competition...in Mr. Hungry, Jr.

I will spare you further details other than to mention that, while the enormous input of a hungry little caterpillar waiting to grow fat and spin his cocoon is most often noted...it is worth mentioning that a little caterpillar's OUTPUT is also outrageous! Hopefully we can nurture these two until they shape shift and give our little ones an up-close lesson on metamorphosis. I guess our other option will be a life cycle discussion. Time will tell, and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a pleasant outcome!