This Is Not My Salad Bowl

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This is not my salad bowl but it is an antique tea cup saucer I bought at the John Larson House Museum in         McFarland, WI. I am glad I did not find a Virginia Ctenucha Caterpillar in my salad bowl! 

Instead, I found Ms Pilla yesterday on Tower Road when I was out for my morning constitutional. 

I was striding along vigorously, listening to the book Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman and enjoying it immensely. I do not understand how I managed to look down at the pavement at the precise moment I needed to in order to see Ms Pilla struggling to crawl along the road. Yet, some how I spotted this little creature and I was amazed. How often does one see a caterpillar out and about when it is 31 degrees in February in Wisconsin?!?!?

Pilla resize-14  Here is Ms Pilla on a quarter in the little antique tea cup saucer so you can get an idea of her size. 

I love to put critters in and on my antique china to show them off. Both the critter and the china. So as soon as I got Ms Pilla home we had a photo session.

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Look at her amazing face. Big catch lights though I am not sure what they are catching in. I read that "caterpillars have six pairs of simple eyes located in two clusters of six eyes on the sides of the larva's head". 

Pilla resize-9  She has an impressive mane and a row of somethings below her face. 

Pilla resize-5   She spent some time exploring the antique tea cup saucer and my focus spot followed her around.

Pilla resize-2  Here she is showing off the long hairs on both ends!

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She seemed to need a shower for she had a lot of dandruff.

Photo session finished, I tried to feed her lettuce and give her water.

Pilla resize-12  Like so many amazing creatures she probably has a specific diet that I could not provide in the dead of winter even if I knew what it should be. 

 I made my own dinner salad with lettuce, pecans, blue cheese, and cranberries. No caterpillar fillers! 

Pilla resize-25  How ever long little Ms Pilla survives she will have a place of honor in my photo archives.