Tenting on the Old. . .Currant Bush

Herein follow the clearest of the faunal pictures from the Independence Day weekend drive up (or rather, down, in this case) Highway 89. I had parked in a pullout and was occupied in keeping a bumblebee in focus atop a sulfur buckwheat bush when I chanced to glance deeper into the plant and saw a caterpillar. A closer inspection of the bush revealed at least two more of the same species, though that took me no closer to identifying the creature. I snapped all the pictures I could, intending to iron out the who's-who questions when I got home.

A couple of pullouts later, however, the main feature was several currant bushes that had been most definitely settled by the same sort of caterpillar; their manner of settling suggested very strongly that they were tent caterpillars, or Malacosoma californicum, if you'd rather.

I'm still rather curious as to why I found a scattered few of the creatures, unhoused, in the sulfur buckwheat bush. They are evidently pretty gregarious.

Don't Miss It

This couldn't possibly be August, could it? And if such an untoward thing as August had prematurely landed upon us all. . .well, surely even if such a thing had happened, the BBC wouldn't be offering the worldwide live streaming of yet another World Pipe Band Championships, would they?

Oh, but it is, and they are. Next Saturday, folks. I go to buy a coffeepot, tomorrow.