Wednesday

 Finally.
This morning as I made my way over to glaze pots for the next kiln load I stopped to look for one of the caterpillars that I had spotted yesterday.
I noticed that it was gone.
I had read that they move down the tree and attach themselves to some of the bottoms leaves closer to the ground.

Most of the limbs have been trimmed from the bottom of the sassafras tree but there are these trees that my grandmother always called choke Cherry trees. As far as she was concerned they were weeds. I remember her having me pull them up along the fence line when she and my grandfather raised cows. She said that the cows could choke on them.
 

 As I was looking for a place that the caterpillar might want to call home I found a chrysalis.
I have been looking all summer for one to watch.

From what I was reading just now, the later in the summer it is, or the less light; shorter days, the chrysalis will be brown, as this one is, instead of green as they are in the summer months.
It also said that if they are brown they are preparing to winter over.
That means we might just have some months together.

I plan to check some of the other ones that I have been watching to see if I can catch those in the same stage.
I know, I know, obsession is a wild beast.

Now, about the butterfly from yesterday that I was all excited about.
I had good information from a reader that it was not a Spicebush.
In fact it is a  Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) a polytypic species of North American brush-footed butterfly, common throughout much of the eastern United States.
I am still trying to get them all straight in my head.
I want to go up to them and ask very southern like, "who are your people?"


Should I update you as things progress, or is this a bit like paint drying to you?

It could be a long wait to see this one come out.



We are glazing away in the studio with about 7-8 shelves to go before we load.
I'll keep you posted.
Cheers,
M