Entymology 101
Just to top things off, Husband noticed the fluttering in the jar that's been on our shelf since August.
The GINORMOUS green caterpillar had come out of its cocoon.
It had ripped its wings apart trying to flap its way out of the jar, in which there was a leaf and the stick with the cocoon. I had Husband go and get the Very Sleepy Kids up so they could see the moth before we let it go, although we were pretty sure it was doomed. They did NOT want to wake up. They were miserable. They wouldn't wake up to see the "butterfly".
I helped Elf up and hurt her elbow (thanks, mtgat for explaining "nursemaid's elbow" since I'm pretty sure that's what it was and it responded to the treatment you'd described the doc using) so she was wailing and crying because it REALLY hurt because I'd pinched a nerve...AND the moth is SO dead because not only can it not fly, it's POURING RAIN... Husband said, as daughter was crying and son was trying to hid in his shoulder to go back to sleep and moth was limping, helplessly and uselessly flapping destroyed wings, "This is just cruel," and took Ben back to bed.
I managed to get up, took Elf back to bed, fixed her arm, got her calmed down, checked her arm, she stopped crying and was using it and they are now asleep again.
I did get enough information to identify this large (and now-dead) insect as a Polyphemus Moth, which you can see here: http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/polyphemus_moth.htm
The giant caterpillar is definitely the one we had, and it DID wrap itself in a leaf to make its cocoon.
And, well, yay for teaching ecology and entymology by killing the critter and waking and upsetting the kids. I just suck all around. Must now join husband and see if he's forgiven me.
The GINORMOUS green caterpillar had come out of its cocoon.
It had ripped its wings apart trying to flap its way out of the jar, in which there was a leaf and the stick with the cocoon. I had Husband go and get the Very Sleepy Kids up so they could see the moth before we let it go, although we were pretty sure it was doomed. They did NOT want to wake up. They were miserable. They wouldn't wake up to see the "butterfly".
I helped Elf up and hurt her elbow (thanks, mtgat for explaining "nursemaid's elbow" since I'm pretty sure that's what it was and it responded to the treatment you'd described the doc using) so she was wailing and crying because it REALLY hurt because I'd pinched a nerve...AND the moth is SO dead because not only can it not fly, it's POURING RAIN... Husband said, as daughter was crying and son was trying to hid in his shoulder to go back to sleep and moth was limping, helplessly and uselessly flapping destroyed wings, "This is just cruel," and took Ben back to bed.
I managed to get up, took Elf back to bed, fixed her arm, got her calmed down, checked her arm, she stopped crying and was using it and they are now asleep again.
I did get enough information to identify this large (and now-dead) insect as a Polyphemus Moth, which you can see here: http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/polyphemus_moth.htm
The giant caterpillar is definitely the one we had, and it DID wrap itself in a leaf to make its cocoon.
And, well, yay for teaching ecology and entymology by killing the critter and waking and upsetting the kids. I just suck all around. Must now join husband and see if he's forgiven me.