Transformation of nature

What a lovely time - the middle of October. We still had quite a few garden things to harvest and normally, at least as I can remember, we'd be pretty much done with harvesting at least by the 2nd week of October. We had 3 buckets of small carrots, yet they were DELICIOUS. We should have thinned the seedlings out, but I was too lazy. We'll know better for next year. We also dug potatoes, calla lily bulbs, and some other tender flowers. We had one big family harvesting party!!!

The girls went to the house to fix supper, while Zach and I finished digging carrots. That's when we found a caterpillar. A couple days later, the boys found the second one.

I had no idea what to feed these crawlies. So as always, we did an online search. We learned it's not a Monarch butterfly as they only feed on milkweed.

We found this on a carrot leaf and that was the hint we needed. It will be an Anise Swallowtail butterfly and they lay their eggs on members of the carrot family. The plants include carrot, Queen Anne's Lace, dill, fennel, and parsley.

A few days later, the 1st one we found made an "L" shape on the carrot stem and wove a thread by which to hang on.

Next day, he was already in his pupa.

But the 2nd guy ate and ate and ate. He got really fat. Sometimes he'd crawl over his friend. I wonder if he felt anything.

 

Then a couple weeks later, he got really little, perched himself in an "L" shape, wove his string, and by morning he was in his pupa. We were amazed how much they could press themselves together. It's truly a handiwork of God. I read that the late autumn caterpillars will hatch in March. So we'll wait and see if anything happens. At least we got to see this neat process.

Another popular science experiment we did was how plants suck water through the roots and then to the stem and into the leaves. Braden and Landon just LOVE doing science.

We're using the Usborne Book of Science Activities Volume Two and then Sonlight made the Discover and Do DVD to supplement the book. It comes in really handy when someone like me doesn't want to do all the hands on stuff. Yet we all get to watch the process on the little DVD.

 

With all those carrots we harvested a few days ago, we needed to get them to a place where they wouldn't spoil. So we all pitched in and scrubbed and peeled and got those carrots canned. It was a two day process. School still has to keep going. We canned 27 quarts and they are  a.w.e.s.o.m.e.! But so are my beautiful girls.

After the first day of canning, they finally got to go on their birthday date with their wonderful daddy! This year they went together and ate at a Chinese restaurant.

This is the second year my husband took his children out to the restaurant of their choice for their birthdays. The love of their daddy is a better gift than any THING. Men like this are very rare in this day and age!!!