I first blogged this over at the
other blog, and I managed to forget to take a picture of an inch-worm that adopted us. I had harvested some mesquite nibbles for the
hubbardi bunch and the little critter caught a ride and found itself in with a bunch of non-geometers. So while I forgot to take its picture, it thrived. Then it started to look pretty bad and I felt terrible and was certain that, along with ~40 other caterpillars this season, it had died. It turned this bizarre shade of teal blue on one end and darkened and instead of being a long, juicy inch-and-a-smidge long... it was barely half an inch long.
But then it turned into a pupa. How ridiculously awesome! Picture from 18 September, after two days of a sickly looking caterpillar.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNtSn9qvk9e-dJJBk4CPObBZzlcjOx9ugHqy3T6usgDEOTPnu7j0lUR3E8RGponCyTvz1efIXkvc-3876Fgww9La3yzAuX1Mo1OWLpawvu2zJwUpC1vvLv1nGMxcwENfMB1WrylYgqgJa/s320/CIMG9847.JPG)
Interestingly enough, it started out copper on the bum and deep, emerald green on the wing casing - and shrank a bit as it turned more coppery all over. This first picture was taken on 25 September.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaer1VetiZqecl8diUVq8U42KpRvfvDbjXkGzFvYirYTYJnmT7FUYA5CAWdBCIAvfm6UwIP5iHmyhi3tlkeltrCAqme-zNC3bDkJCGC31OtHF0kUR-fAA468tDT4FA5IAbpsh7sZJCmsxX/s320/CIMG9899.JPG)
26 September! We're fairly certain that this is
Rindgea cyda, the Mesquite Looper. Otherwise it's likely
Rindgea s-signata.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLYWIOrHWBeAHeOjVrDmob1TZ7YCCAu3-ucJj2bt5eWMBYquXHtf_X0Kfkr81QN-nNtZvLONPAlp_eXFYUaF-yIgHooQDL0qCh89SOCFc_JPuU8VHr5_C4Qw8FtMAsp241rvWqBBhyphenhyphenjAd/s320/CIMG9913.JPG)
And the empty case with a wandering
hubbardi...
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