Two days after writing my last post about the black swallowtail caterpillar that came home with me on some fennel, I went outside and the caterpillar was gone. I looked through the fennel plant, and in nearby shrubs, but it had disappeared. Later, as I was getting into my car, I just happened to glance at the side of our house and there it was.

It annoys me when humans underestimate wildlife, but I still  think it’s pretty amazing that this caterpillar made its way more than 25 feet from its fennel plant, around the side of our house, and climbed five feet up to the spot where it obviously intended to pupate. I also wonder when this happened. Probably during the night.

Every time I park my car, I now glance over to see how the caterpillar is doing. For about 24 hours, it remained as you see it in the above photo.

Then, it became this.

We are usually too self-absorbed to see what’s going on in the natural world. Sometimes, if you’re lucky and you pay attention, you learn secrets and witness miracles like this one. I hope I get to see the final transformation.