Fascinating

Well, I never knew that Monarch caterpillars were bewhiskered! Check it out in large to really appreciate those whiskers.

I think of them as really sweet - probably the cute stripes and the fact that they turn into such beautiful butterflies - but the munching machines on my swan plant proved to me that they're fanged, goggle eyed and bewhiskered - AND they have sharp little feet. Most of those things don't show in this photo but my other photos confirm it - just a pity I can only load one a day.

The last batch of caterpillars on my swan plants never made it out of babyhood. I am told the wasps probably got them, although I never noticed any wasps hanging about. Anyway, there are a good dozen caterpillars on there now, thanks to the latest hatching. The biggest of them isn't more than 2 cm long and they are very young but I have my fingers crossed that some of them might make it to chrysalis stage.