Redemption

Last Friday, I had a shock in my backyard. One of the beautiful red pentas was completely destroyed. Not a leaf or blossom left. Of course, I was very upset.

I spotted three of these guys, Tersa Sphinx Moth caterpillars.

I try to appreciate the insect kingdom, but... well, I have a lot to learn. I sprayed and killed one. I let two get away, hoping they'd take up residency in the high grass behind my property. I felt really bad, but it was my first and 'natural' reaction.

Because of how bad I felt having killed one, I decided that if any returned, I'd let them 'have at it' and enjoy their (probably fairly short) life cycle, even if it meant losing my pentas.

Tonight, when I got home from work, I noticed another caterpillar on the pink pentas. Hopefully this picture and the ones below have some redeeming qualities.

For information about the Tersa Sphinx Moth, check it out here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylophanes_tersa