It all began with a plant...

Well, I promised to keep updates on my little caterpillar. I guess I didn't do to well on that bit. But here is the ultimate update ever. From beginning to the end of the process, here is my lil Tersa Sphinx.

Caterpillar is resting after eating all day

Now it is eating again.

 I found him crawling around on the bathroom floor so I put him in a container with some of my Penta plant's leaves. Over night he dragged them all to a corner and webbed them together. He started to turn brown shortly thereafter.

 He would toss and turn every couple of hours. Very interesting.

He is just chillin now.

Arial view

 He started cocooning. He creates this liquid that I guess helps change his skin into this odd casing. It was kind of gross. I thought he had died at first.

 Cocoon!! Success!!

MOTH

Tersa Sphinx Hummingbird Moth. He is almost the size of my palm.

 Wish you could have heard this thing flying around. It was INSANE!! Sounded like a mini helicopter flying around. And his little antenna look like bat ears. Its crazy.

Drying off

                    

            So there you have it. Not too many pictures, but its enough to see the process I suppose. One of the cooler things about this whole thing is that it came out of its cocoon sometime on my birthday!! It's cocoon casing was already dried out and the liquid that it was in was dry as well. So yay! We share the same birthday! Happy Birthday Mr Moth!!

What to do, what to do...

                                  I guess things have finally started. Finally. My lovey is on his way over to his final destination and right now it feels like I am looking down the longest tunnel I have ever been through. But the thing about tunnels is that they pass through rather quickly. Unless you are walking. Then it just seems to take eternity. I hope I'm sitting on a train personally. I would rather not think that this next year is going to take forever, like walking through the longest tunnel ever. But when all is said and done, he will be home, and I will have one more year of school under my belt, and one less year of writing out the botanical names for River Birch and Sago Palms (Betula nigra and Cycas revoluta)


                      Not else much is new, so I don't really have much else to say. Oh, except I can not wait for the state fair to end. It has taken only two days for me to hate the general public. At least the public that cusses me out because they can't successfully keep the 5 goldfish they won in a bowl. Sure, we are making a lot off of goldfish tanks and bowls and what-have-you, but I don't think my sanity is worth losing for money I am not going to be putting in my pocket. Just take your goldfish, and throw it in the lake nearest you. It will save you the heartache, and the fish it's life. :)


                ~Nomers

October already?...

               I feel like changing things up a bit. So, It's October already!! Time is sure flying. I can't believe how fast the year has gone. 2 more months after this and we are going to find ourselves in the dreaded year 2012. *Scarey ghost noise* Who ever came up with the world ending next year, and those that believe whomever it was that started this, really needs to see a doctor and get their reality checked. Just because the Mayans predicted Noah's flood and other worldly disasters does not mean this one will be ever more true. Get a grip. :D


          Rabbit trail!! I am helping my landscaping classes set up a plant booth area type dealio this afternoon at the state fair. Should be plenty exciting! I'll let ya'll know how it goes, and I'll be posting pictures!
                            Another rabbit trail. I have this 20 gallon fish tank that I acquired several months back. As the name implies, I had fish. :D But I am now bored with freshwater fish. All that they do is swim back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and maybe back again, if not further forth. So, I am in the middle of a new project with said tank. SALT WATER!! Gonna try that out and see how it goes. I'm really rather excited. More-so than I was with the guppies. (I hate guppies).

Blue Mandarin Fish

 

Purple Firefish

          That little fish is one that I will hopefully be able to keep alive in my tank. He is a cute little bugger, but I've heard they are bloody difficult to keep alive. Wish me luck though!

Christmas tree worms

Zoanthids

            


          Hopefully the firefish  too I will be successful with. Only time will tell. So far my tank is cycling, and I have nearly 6 more weeks of waiting before I can even begin to think about putting a fish in. I also need to set up a refugium to grow brine shrimp in for my little fishies. At least I will have something to do to keep me occupied for the next couple of days, maybe. Another thing that I am going to have to look into is a new light fixture so I can have soft coral in my tank.


             Those there are the soft corals that I will probably be looking into. As for the christmas tree worms, I still have to look into the up keep but with the help of two of my friends who also deal with salt water, I will be able to figure something out :) Everything is still in the early planning stages, so anything can happen. For the time being, I will just continue to set up the live rock for my tank (helps establish the tank for the little fish), and create the refugium for my feeder shrimp, which are the tiniest things you could ever see!!

 

Brine shrimp

              Anyways, That is about it for this post. Ya'll have a good one!!

          -Nomers