Yesterday, James told me that he could see the pink cactus bloom in our new cacti bed from the street when he drove by. So I followed him out there and was surprised to see that the bloom had REALLY opened since the day before. It was beautiful. So I ran back to the house for my camera....
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As we were admiring the flower (and the beetle), James noticed an orange-and-black caterpillar with white spots, high-tailing it across the ground toward the cactus. It seemed to be in a big hurry. And it appeared to be heading straight for the cactus in bloom!
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As you can image, we were surprised when the bristled fellow
did crawl onto the cactus. At first, we thought it might stay and gnaw on the flower. Not quite...
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Well, it did pause and take a quick break, almost like it was posing for me. Then the caterpillar headed back down the cactus and onto the ground again.
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And off it went, headed west with great determination and purpose. I wish I could identify the species, but I haven't been able so far. But this I know: our little caterpillar will be one special butterfly. And maybe we'll meet again.
I feel honored that we met in the first place.
UPDATE–Our blooming beauty is likely a
lace cactus (
Echinocereus reichenbachii). Just happened to spot a similar one in a borrowed book,
Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs of Texas by Delena Tull and George Oxord Miller.
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