I regret to inform you that I will not be able to share the magic of a Black Eastern Swallowtail butterfly emerging from its cocoon with you all.
I came out the other morning to discover this.
I thought at first maybe a bird had raided it – we have a robin’s nest full of babies in the tree behind us, and the parents have been working overtime to keep their brood fed.
But then I did some research…
We knew about parasitic wasps that attack the caterpillars when they are feeding, but we figured since it made it to chrysalis, we were safe. Sadly not. Apparently there is another parasitic wasp that lays it’s eggs on the caterpillar while he is building his cocoon. Then they get built inside with him, and eat him up when they hatch. The tear a hole in the side when they are ready to fly away. He was basically toast from the minute he stuck his butt to that stick.
So all this time, I thought I was raising one of these…
But I’ve really been raising a whole bunch of these…
Nature is a cruel mistress.
Wandering Cat Studio 
Oh no!
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That is sad! We have trouble with wasps-they lay eggs in our cactus lobes and the whole thing turns to mush! Yes, it can feel very cruel to our reasoning! Sorry.
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How awful!!! And yes, nature is cruel. I hate living out here in the woods sometimes.
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Well, that is a bummer.
Sorry about that.
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Oh no! That is definitely a disappointment. We were all looking forward to seeing a beautiful butterfly and instead we get wasps. Yuck!
Blessings,
Betsy
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Oh, no! That is sad!
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You scared me for a second there. I thought something had happened to one of the cats.
But, sad for the poor butterfly too. I had just read about that wasp. Apparently, we have them here too.
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Oh dear…….
Val my caterpillar died. The two frogs I found for my pals kids, well I had to let them go. I just couldn’t find enough insects for them. IT was like a full time job!
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Sad. Thanks for info.
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2020 is a cruel one. Yuck.
Sorry about the butterfly baby.
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Cruel but fascinating.
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The cycle of life just stinks sometimes.
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