I almost killed it!
I went to Alan's. I was sitting in the back yard throwing the ball for Itchy. The neighbor's dog. Itchy is very much ball obsessed. Alan, Coal, Webster (Alan's cat) and I were just relaxing and enjoying the day. I don't think you could call Itchy relaxed... did I mention she's ball obsessed?So she had finally managed to get my attention after nudging the ball my way several times and I picked it up and as I released I heard Alan say "Look at the Swallowtail". As the ball soared out of my hand I looked at him. My eyes followed the direction he was point and I see the ball I threw and the butterfly and then I heard a tiny thwacking sound. Alan says "You almost got it!" and before I can tell him what I heard the poor butterfly stagger-flies off to the ground. I sat there feeling horrified and Alan went to the rescue.
I was sure the poor thing would be dead but it wasn't. Alan picked it up off the ground because it had landed on the neighbors steps. It flew off his fingers back to ground and then landed on the door. He finally convinced me to come see how beautiful the poor thing was. I kept saying "I killed it". I mean, sheesh, my aim is horrible, I couldn't hit something like that if I was trying but I do throw hard and it was a big, tough plastic ball. The butterfly may have been big, but compared to other butterflies but not compared to the ball.
We let it sit for a while and then Alan decided to move it to the sun. He was trying to get it off his finger and onto the wall when suddenly it took flight. I was so relieved I was watched it climb up into the sky.
posted by Herman | 4:46 PM
5 Comments:
:)
Itchy may not have been relaxed, but she was happy.
You left out the part about having the wee girl in your lap.
Too moooooooooooooooshy?
Yes, Itchy had a good day. I'm not sure Webster was relaxed either, more like adventurous or playful be he had fun too.
It was a story about a butterfly not about some little girl! And I am not mooshy! ... I was rather surprised when she plopped in my lap so quickly
You made friends with Annika? She's a cute kid.
Glad to hear the swallowtail recovered.
I love swallowtails--one of my favorite insects. Maybe because it was the first insect that got me started on bugs. I found one as a caterpillar on the back patio & didn't know what it was (they look so cool--big, green & hairless with huge fake eyespots to scare predators away). Alan went out & got me an insect field guide so I could identify it & care for it properly & that was the beginning of my fascination with bugs.
The next spring when it hatched, the jar was a little too small for it & one of the wings was bent at the tip. I opened the jar & left it on its side & he crawled out & was still able to fly just fine. The best part was that I saw him again--about a week later a swallowtail was in the garden & his wing was bent at the tip. :)
My sister & I found an injured one in our backyard when we were teenagers. Don't know quite what was wrong with it, but it couldn't fly (maybe it got hit by a ball). I let it crawl onto my hand & Kathryn & I sat out on the grass & read while it explored. It liked Kathryn's red hair the best--clinging to her curls & swinging in the breeze. After an hour or so, he'd had enough rest & flew away. :)
I made friends with Dylan I guess. She just came over hugged me and ended up in my lap. We had a grand time pointing at Webster and saying "cat"
I raised butterflies too as a kid, but I never got lucky enough to get a swallowtail. One time, the caterpillar actually bit me. It hurt! Now that's bizarre.
Haha! He must have mistaken your finger for a yummy leaf. :)
I had a pet beetle (Bailey) when I was a kid--he was a North American Darkling Beetle, very big & cool. He lived in a five gallon tank in my room & ate just about everything (even kitty crunchies). He was great fun to play with--letting him clack-clack-clack across the hardwood floors or tickle your hand crawling around. He never bit me, but he did bite one of my friends once. I had him for about a year & then he died & became a specimen.
I also had a mated pair of European house spiders that I tried to keep in a cage. Mom made me keep them on the porch, rather than the house, which was a good thing since they escaped.
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