Worms at the picnic

I went on a picnic with some long, lost friends the other day. There were sandwiches, cookies, cold soda pops and fruit salad. There were sunshine, a light breeze, green-leafed trees and a nearly complete absence of flying bugs that could bite us. It was an idyllic spring day with good food and good company.

We situated ourselves at a picnic table in the shade and commenced our lunch. In the silence that followed the commencement of our lunch (yes, the food was good), I looked closely at the picnic table in front of me. And I noticed some non-flying bugs. Several different types in fact. No less than three types of caterpillars making their slow, purposeful way around our table in search of I-don't-know-what - food probably.

A worm in an apple may be considered bad luck, but these little fellows were not really causing any harm at our feast, so they were allowed to continue their independent paths across the table - probably unaware of us or one another. They presented a brief photographic challenge (which I accepted). And as with many things, I came to appreciate them more after seeing them through a camera's lens.


This guy was the first one I noticed (perhaps because he was the biggest and furriest). He was also the most sedentary.



Then this fellow appeared - to me this is very near the stereotypical version of a caterpillar that is the stock picture in my mind when I think of caterpillars (which is really not that often, I suppose).


And then this miniature cousin appeared, and he walks kind of funny. I actually just googled inchworms and found out that they are indeed caterpillars, not worms as their name suggests. I suppose I may have known this, but confirmation was necessary. This was not as shocking to me as when I found out (not all that long ago) that glow worms are real, non-fictional beings (though again, not truly worms). Perhaps more on them another day...



Oh, and Maximilian was there too, being his regal self (eye goop and all), sitting and watching children play and birds fly and leaves rustle on the trees, enjoying the sunshine as he is so wont to do.

A good time was had by all.