The Very Hungry Caterpillars

It’s been a strange spring. The fact that we even have a spring is strange enough, since usually, we just have a few days of extreme humidity after the winter and then, bam, summer is here. This year, on the other hand, we actually have a spring with rain and slowly warming days. It’s nice to be able to feel the changing seasons. The downside of that, though, is that the insect population in our garden absolutely explodes. Sure, there are some nice ones like ladybugs, fireflies (which I’ve been watching every night), dragonflies, and wasps (yes, wasps are beneficial to your garden!), but there are plenty of nasty caterpillars and snails (I know snails are not insects, but they’re harmful nonetheless). Just check out these caterpillars I found on our sweet osmanthus tree, and the moth that they hatched into:

This isn’t entirely off-topic either, because all these bugs have inspired my outfit. The caterpillar brooch is obvious, but there’s a subtler touch – my shirt and pants are both made of silk, which, of course, comes from the silkworm. See, you can find fashion inspiration anywhere, even from nasty pests.