The Rest of the Story

That's the way the late Paul Harvey used to announce the news: he would tell "the rest of the story." Well, here is the rest of the story of the caterpillars who obliterated my rue plant earlier in the summer.

I looked out of our bedroom to the berm and spotted several very active butterflies--enjoying the big, blue spikey plant (whose name I do not know). I grabbed the camera and snapped away--confident that the helpful Audubon guide would in fact "guide" me to an identification (The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies). Sure enough, these were giant swallowtails--the "rest of the story" of the caterpillars. The Audubon guide offers explicit (though at times unscientific) identification hints. This caterpillar is described as "brown or olive, resembling large bird dropping, with dirty buff patches and saddles and usually red scent horns." Oh yes, and it feeds on rue. What is most amazing is the camouflage that nature has given the caterpillar so that it looks as unappetizing to potential predators (bird dropping?) as possible.

I guess I don't mind sacrificing my rue to have these magnificent butterflies in my garden. Note for next year's garden: buy some rue pants.