As the restoration of our garden is continuing in full swing, I encouraged Marc to join me on a ‘Garden Safari’ to see what we could see.
This caterpillar caught his sharp eyes way before mine, eating its way through the leaves of the Alchemilla mollis. (Lady’s Mantle)
I am always amazed how sharp his eyes are given his peripheral blindness and virtually no sight in his right eye, but splashes of colour stand out to him and even the smallest splash attracts him.
We watched this caterpillar for a while, and then he took my camera to capture a picture.
I believe this is the Vapourer caterpillar (Orgyia antiqua) A moth and serious pest to street trees. I also understand that its hairs can be toxic, potentially causing irritation if touching the skin, so we leave it alone to go about its thing, and came inside to track it down in our books.
It’s a small thing, but it is an activity that encourages Marc outdoors and over the threshold. His world continues to be fraught with anxiety and the fear of the unknown. Little by little we are succeeding in opening his world to see more and importantly stimulating his mind. That stimulation in turn helps to calm some of those fears.
A little homebased adventure … and a smile :-))
Excellent capture Marc!!