Blake
09-24-2008, 11:27 AM
(This was a big outdoor trash can that was near the building's door.)
I noticed that there was a nice big butterfly hanging out on the side of the can so I thought I would take a closer look at it. After I got a little closer, I noticed that there were a bunch of cocoons and a few caterpillars crawling around the side and thought, "wow, so this is where butterflies come from....the trash can."
Then I noticed one cocoon that was near the bottom of the can that had little ants crawling all over it. The cocoon itself was shaking and moving back and forth to which at first I thought it was the ants trying to move it, but it was instead the b-fly himself trying to shake these ants off.
I thought, "wow, I better help this poor fella", so I took my water bottle and tried to wash the ants off.
Well, the ants washed off, but so did the b-fly in his cocoon and he fell to the ground in front of the can. "Oops", I was thinking, "that didn't work......but at least he's in the soft grassy area now, so he should be ok.."
But then I noticed a few feet away was a small ant hill. I thought I had better move the poor guy, so I took out my ball point pen and tried to move him over with it. I guess cocoons are more fragile than I thought, because I poked part of it open and saw either a leg or an antenna pop out, I'm not sure which.
Well, I knew I couldn't leave it there next to the ant hill and I couldn't move it with my pen, so I ran to my car, got a piece of paper, came back and scooped it up and moved it to a nearby window ledge on the building.
"Ok" I thought, "it will be safe here", but no sooner had those words popped in my head than I heard some tweet-tweets to which I noticed a near-by bird's nest up in the tree.
Well, I couldn't let the birds get it so I scooped it back up and put it on the back seat of my car. I figured I would take it home, put it in a nice bowl or something and help him get to full butterfly-hood.
I then remembered that I left a bag back in the building so I ran back in to get it and told my new butterfly friend to "sit tight" and that "I'll be right back".
Well, I got to talking to a buddy inside the building and let time pass before I realized that I had a butterfly out in my car with the sun coming down and the windows rolled up. I don't know what the heat threshold for b-flies are, but I ran back any way.
I got to my car and threw my bag in the back seat on the opposite side where I had laid the b-fly. I got in the car and looked back to check on him, but he was gone!
I thought, "wow, maybe he sprouted wings and flew somewhere in the back of my car or is on the floor board somewhere". I searched all over the car but couldn't find him. I figured that he probably had flown out when I had opened the door and just didn't see him.
Then when I got to my destination, I picked up my bag from the bag seat and lo and behold, there was crushed cocoon under the bag.....
apparently, he had shaken and rolled his to the other side of the back seat...
I left him there, went to the car wash and sucked him up with the vacuum.
I'm glad to say, I think he's finally in a better place.
I noticed that there was a nice big butterfly hanging out on the side of the can so I thought I would take a closer look at it. After I got a little closer, I noticed that there were a bunch of cocoons and a few caterpillars crawling around the side and thought, "wow, so this is where butterflies come from....the trash can."
Then I noticed one cocoon that was near the bottom of the can that had little ants crawling all over it. The cocoon itself was shaking and moving back and forth to which at first I thought it was the ants trying to move it, but it was instead the b-fly himself trying to shake these ants off.
I thought, "wow, I better help this poor fella", so I took my water bottle and tried to wash the ants off.
Well, the ants washed off, but so did the b-fly in his cocoon and he fell to the ground in front of the can. "Oops", I was thinking, "that didn't work......but at least he's in the soft grassy area now, so he should be ok.."
But then I noticed a few feet away was a small ant hill. I thought I had better move the poor guy, so I took out my ball point pen and tried to move him over with it. I guess cocoons are more fragile than I thought, because I poked part of it open and saw either a leg or an antenna pop out, I'm not sure which.
Well, I knew I couldn't leave it there next to the ant hill and I couldn't move it with my pen, so I ran to my car, got a piece of paper, came back and scooped it up and moved it to a nearby window ledge on the building.
"Ok" I thought, "it will be safe here", but no sooner had those words popped in my head than I heard some tweet-tweets to which I noticed a near-by bird's nest up in the tree.
Well, I couldn't let the birds get it so I scooped it back up and put it on the back seat of my car. I figured I would take it home, put it in a nice bowl or something and help him get to full butterfly-hood.
I then remembered that I left a bag back in the building so I ran back in to get it and told my new butterfly friend to "sit tight" and that "I'll be right back".
Well, I got to talking to a buddy inside the building and let time pass before I realized that I had a butterfly out in my car with the sun coming down and the windows rolled up. I don't know what the heat threshold for b-flies are, but I ran back any way.
I got to my car and threw my bag in the back seat on the opposite side where I had laid the b-fly. I got in the car and looked back to check on him, but he was gone!
I thought, "wow, maybe he sprouted wings and flew somewhere in the back of my car or is on the floor board somewhere". I searched all over the car but couldn't find him. I figured that he probably had flown out when I had opened the door and just didn't see him.
Then when I got to my destination, I picked up my bag from the bag seat and lo and behold, there was crushed cocoon under the bag.....
apparently, he had shaken and rolled his to the other side of the back seat...
I left him there, went to the car wash and sucked him up with the vacuum.
I'm glad to say, I think he's finally in a better place.