Uncategorized - Prairie Rivers of Iowa

‘Big Boy’ visits Belle Plaine by Jeff Morrison

by Prairie Rivers of Iowa | Sep 25, 2024

The Union Pacific’s No. 4014 “Big Boy” steam locomotive stops in downtown Belle Plaine, Iowa, on Thursday, September 5, 2024. The train’s trip across Iowa closely followed the Lincoln Highway. Photo by author.

BELLE PLAINE — Little boys love Big Boy. Big boys love Big Boy. On Thursday, hundreds of people turned out to see Big Boy.

“Big Boy” is the nickname of the 25 huge trains built in 1941 for the Union Pacific Railroad. The Omaha World-Herald introduced it as a “mastiff among puny terrier locomotives.” There are seven remaining in museums. That number used to be eight, but No. 4014 was pulled out of a California museum and restored in the 2010s. Five years after its initial excursion in 2019, the last Big Boy returned to Iowa as part of an eight-week, 10-state “Heartland of America Tour.”

John Sutherland, 75, of North Liberty was seeing Big Boy for the first time. “Railroading runs in my family’s blood. My grandfather worked for the Pullman-Standard Steel Car Co. and my great-grandfather was the line superintendent for the Michigan Central Railroad.” He’s not much of a train spotter, but the opportunity to see Big Boy was too good to pass up.

The Iowa-Illinois portion of Big Boy’s 2024 trip followed trackage that was originally part of the Chicago & North Western Railroad and closely parallels U.S. Highway 30 and the Lincoln Highway. Its public stops were in Carroll, Belle Plaine and Grand Mound. Those stops doubled as service periods, since the world’s largest operating steam locomotive requires a high degree of maintenance.

George Kornstead of Iowa City was wearing a Hawkeye Model Railroad Club shirt. He grew up around the rail hub in Duluth and Superior. “Steam is incredible, it really is, to watch how back in the day when people were working on railroad, how hard it was and how intensive it was to keep steam available on the locomotive. Lot of work. The fireman really makes his money.”

Big Boy pulls into Belle Plaine with Lincoln Highway Mural in background

The World-Herald in 1941 said at the first Big Boy’s launch, “A single tender loading of coal would heat a six-room home for three years.” This Big Boy has been converted from using coal to using oil.

Steven Ritchie, 6, wore a “Big Boy” T-shirt. His father, Roger, said Steven has seen a lot of train videos and sings “the Big Boy song.” Andrew Schamberger of Hudson wore a C&NW T-shirt. His sister, Becca Scott of West Branch, loves the old steam engines.

According to the UP’s website, No. 4014 racked up a million miles of travel in its 20 years of original service in Wyoming and Utah. It’s nearly twice as long as a standard diesel locomotive and more than half the length of a Boeing 747 jet. The Big Boys “had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of ‘pilot’ wheels which guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels following which supported the rear of the locomotive,” the website says.

The Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” glistens during a light rain shower in downtown Belle Plaine, Iowa, on Thursday, September 5, 2024. Engine No. 4014 was built in 1941, decommissioned in 1961, and restored in time for the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad in 2019. Photo by author.

Big Boy’s visit was a way to connect with railroad history. Paul Duffy, 85, is from “Tama, really,” but now lives nearer Belle Plaine. He worked for the C&NW and then with UP after the two railroads merged. He had been stationed at multiple points along the railroad in Iowa through his career. His oldest of five daughters, Laurie Duffy, remembers going to the station in Tama with her children to wave at Paul as his train went by.

As Big Boy finally pulled into Belle Plaine 55 minutes after its scheduled arrival, the only rain in a week’s worth of weather showed up with it. It did not dampen the spirits of those who waited, although busloads of elementary school students were only able to get a short glimpse of the train before leaving.

On the other track, a modern UP train with a long line of double-stacked shipping containers prepared to resume its trip west. Freight trains have been going through Belle Plaine for more than a century and a half, and Thursday was no exception.

After the wheels had been greased up and spectators got their fill of pictures, Big Boy’s engineer pulled the whistle and rang the bell. The 83-year-old engine began to chug its way toward Cedar Rapids for the night.

Roll on, Big Boy, roll on.

My other work can be found on my website, Iowa Highway Ends, and its blog.

I am proud to be part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative.

Jeff Morrison

Iowa Lincoln Highway Association Flashback: 1995, with Bob Ausberger

by Jeanie Hau | Aug 6, 2024

Lincoln Hotel Restoration 1990-92

Lincoln Highway Original Brick at Cornell College, Mount Vernon

Lincoln Highway original brick Woodbine

Follow the Iowa Lincoln Highway Association on Facebook and at Iowa Lincoln Highway Association – Copyright © 2024 All rights reserved. Become involved and join today: Membership – Iowa Lincoln Highway Association Follow John Fitzsimmons at https://lincolnhighwayjohnny.com

As always you can find Lincoln Highway information at: Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway or Prairie Rivers of Iowa and don’t forget the Byway Buzz.

From “Green Corn Dance” to “Powwow:” the Meskwaki Nation’s End of Summer Tradition

by Jeanie Hau | Aug 6, 2024

The Meskwaki Nation located in Tama County has celebrated the end of summer every year for over 100 years with the Meskwaki Annual Powwow. Family and friends travel from all over the country every year to participate in the Annual Powwow which features dancing, singing, handcrafts, food, games, and fun. Dance styles and content have evolved over the years but the reminiscing, reconnecting, and celebrating unity remains the focus of the event.

Meskwaki Powwow Facebook page

Before 1900, the Meskwaki Tribe would gather every fall during harvest to celebrate the harvest of the crop with a feast. The village was centrally located and the people would celebrate while making final preparations for the storing of the crop for the coming year. They called this celebration the “Green Corn Dance.”

Then in the early 1900s, the smallpox epidemic ran through the village and the federal government burned the village homes to eradicate the disease. The government then built the settlement houses that were spread out across the land in hopes of preventing future diseases. This caused a separation of the population and the arrival of individual crop lands and various harvest times instead of a central common harvest.

CW Wright State Historical Society Wikiup

CW Wright, State Historical Society of Iowa

Powwow Lincoln Highway 1917 Meskwaki Nation

Meskwaki Powwow Facebook Page

To fill the missing sense of celebratory community, from 1902-1912, the Meskwaki Tribe gathered at the old village site and a new event was created but without the harvest. “Field Days” had replaced the “Green Corn Dance.”

“Field Days” became popular with more and more people from outside the settlement. The Meskwaki realized that they could share their culture with the outside world and possibly provide income for the settlement during this festive event and so in 1913 the Chief appointed 15 men to plan the celebration. These men changed the event name to “Powwow” and moved it to the current Powwow Grounds.

The Meskwaki Annual Powwow is now the largest event of its kind in the nation. It has only been canceled during World War II and during the Covid-19 outbreak of 2020/2021.

Meskwaki Powwow Facebook page

All are invited and encouraged to attend the Meskwaki Annual Powwow with open minds and open hearts to learn from the Meskwaki culture during this festive event. Various games, activities, and food vendors as well as traditional foods are available to all. Powwow etiquette is an important way to show your respect and to ease your comfort in an unfamiliar cultural environment. The celebration begins on Thursday August 8 and last for four days with Grand Entry beginning at 1 pm and 7 pm daily.

Meskwaki Powwow Facebook page

Meskwaki Powwow Facebook page

The Grand Entry can now be livestreamed if you can’t make it in person. New this year is the Bible’s Fatboy Powwow Highway Ride benefiting the Meskwaki Band Florida Trip; grab your cars and bikes and meet at the Meskwaki Travel Plaza 9:30 am Aug 10^th and ride the gravel-to-grounds route. What a way to celebrate the end of summer!

The Meskwaki Powwow Grounds are along both the Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway and the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway.

Visit Prairie Rivers of Iowa for more Byway Buzz.

Iowa Valley Scenic Byway Iowa Prairie Rivers of Iowa

Raccoon River Valley Trailhead in Jefferson Honors History and the Lincoln Highway

by Jeanie Hau | Mar 18, 2024

Coming from the east along the Lincoln Highway through the town of Jefferson, there is a location where the car seems to be drawn to a stop and the traveler is compelled to get out and explore. On the north side of the road is a beautiful, landscaped area with plants and sculptures while on the south side there is the restored and welcoming Milwaukee Railroad Depot (along with the county Freedom Rock!). Both sides of the road are part of the Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) trailhead.

The Railroad Years

The Chicago & North Western Railroad brought the railroad tracks to town in 1866, and by 1906 the Milwaukee and St Paul routes ran through Jefferson as well connecting Des Moines and the Iowa Great Lakes Region. Replacing smaller versions of a depot, the current depot was built from a standard Milwaukee plan between 1906 and 1909. There was once a cast iron horse trough that was attached to the building. Because Jefferson was the county seat of Greene County, the depot here was larger than most with two waiting rooms, indoor plumbing, and an express and baggage room. Greater ornamentation was also given to the structure. Jefferson Milwaukee depot historical photo

The Lincoln Highway Cruises In

By 1913, the Lincoln Highway was proposed and its paving across Greene County came soon afterward from local and city funding. The city square was just a few blocks west of the Milwaukee Depot, and in 1918 a grand Classical Revival style building made of limestone was built to replace the brick county courthouse. In that same year, resident E.B. Wilson donated a statue of Abraham Lincoln to honor the Lincoln Highway and the new courthouse. This new ease and popularity of automobile travel became the preferred way to get from place to place. By 1952 the passenger service on the Milwaukee RR was discontinued. By the middle of the 1980s freight service ceased operation as well.

A New Use

It was time for a new use for the old railroad right-of-way. Through a vision of the Iowa Trails Council and the Conservation Boards from Dallas and Guthrie counties, the Raccoon River Valley multi-use Trail (RRVT) was born in 1987, with the first paved trail in 1989. The 12-mile addition from Jefferson to the south was completed in 1997 after Greene County joined the group. Today, the trail is an 89-mile paved surface running from Jefferson to Waukee, with plans to connect to the High Trestle Trail by the end of 2024.

One of the goals of the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association was to keep the history alive in the towns along the trail and to give new life to the communities. There are signs noting historical points of significance along the entire route, several restored or remaining train depots, and signs that remain from the railroad days.

The Jefferson Trailhead

The addition of the Milwaukee Depot Trailhead in Jefferson has been significant to telling the story of the Lincoln Highway. Thousands of bicyclists, joggers, walkers, skaters, campers, cross-country skiers, birdwatchers, hunters, fishermen and naturalists from all across the state are drawn to the Raccoon River Valley Trail. The Lincoln Highway interpretive signs at the trailhead are only the beginning to how Jefferson tells the Lincoln Highway history.

Freedom Rock Greene County

Jefferson and the Lincoln Highway

Adjacent to the Raccoon River Valley Trail is the Greene County Freedom Rock, the 53rd in the state, and completed in 2016. The Lincoln Highway is one of four subjects painted on the rock. In the Greene County News, October 28, 2016, artist Bubba Sorensen states that the rocks are to thank veterans for their service and to tell the unique stories of each county. The Lincoln Highway scene depicts the 1919 U.S. Army motor transport corps convoy across the Lincoln Highway and then LTC Dwight D. Eisenhower looking toward the convoy.

Approximately one block to the west of the RRVT is the Deep Rock Gas Station. Built in 1923, the building was in use until the 1990s. The site was given to the city in 2007. Using federal EPA “brownfield” funds, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources removed the station’s seven underground tanks. Using other grants and fund sources the station was restored and rededicated in 2014. An interpretive sign is located at the station to provide more insight on the historic Lincoln Highway.

A few blocks farther to the west is the Greene County Museum and Historical Center housing Lincoln Highway memorabilia. A sidewalk painting of the Lincoln Highway roadway leads from the museum to the Thomas Jefferson Gardens and ends at the town square. An interpretive sign along the sidewalks speaks of the Lincoln Highway.

Mahanay carillion Tower At the center of the town square is the Greene County Courthouse, the Abraham Lincoln Statue, a 1928 Lincoln Highway Marker, and the Mahanay Memorial Carillion Tower. The tower allows for elevator rides to a 128-foot-high observation deck with views to rooftop art, to the surrounding counties and to… the Lincoln Highway. interpretive signs Lincoln Highway

The Raccoon River Valley Trail is nationally recognized as an exceptional rails-to-trails conversion and was a 2021 inductee into the rail-trail Hall of Fame. It has the longest paved loop trail in the nation and connects 14 Iowa communities with a unique outdoor recreational experience. Visit their website to plan your next railroad biking adventure and to support the communities built along railroad and Lincoln Highway history!

What It Means to Be Native

by Dr. Tom Rosburg | Mar 14, 2024

Bringing Nature Home, published in 2007, is the first book by Dr. Douglas Tallamy, Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. The title says it all. Dr. Tallamy argues that we can make important contributions to the conservation of native wildlife by what we choose to plant in our backyards. Much of the world’s landscapes are dominated by humans, leaving little space for Nature. Iowa has lost over 99% of its native prairies, 92% of its native wetlands, and 75% of its native forests. Where Nature still exists, non-native and invasive species wreak havoc by taking up space and disrupting natural ecosystem processes that support native species.

More than 50,000 foreign plant and animal species have established in the United States. About one in seven is invasive. Damage and control costs are estimated at more than $138 billion annually (USDA/APHIS, 2001). Native species are under siege everywhere. So where is Nature to go? Dr. Tallamy invites us to make a place for Nature in our backyards and gardens. By doing so, we will help make a brighter future for Nature.

What does “native” mean?

Dr. Tallamy has published nearly 100 research papers on insect ecology, behavior and physiology. His work shows that insects prefer to eat plants with which they share an evolutionary history. If you add plants to your yard to benefit native wildlife, native plants should be your first choice. The evolutionary connection between them is a powerful concept. So what does it mean to be native? All species have a natural biogeographic range, a map that shows where the species exists under natural conditions. This is where the species is indigenous and native, where natural population processes and migration have permitted the species to live, and where it has adapted to the environment.

What is “local ecotype”?

The term local ecotype is often used in discussions about what is native. However local ecotype does not mean the same as native. It addresses a different population concept. If a species’ biogeographic range is very large, like several hundred miles in diameter, then it is possible that ecotypes are present. An ecotype is a genetically-defined subpopulation within a species’ range. They form through evolution. Consider the common grassland species big bluestem. Its range includes 45 states and provinces in North America. It is likely there is a Texas-ecotype, an Ohio-ecotype, a North Dakota-ecotype, and others. Because ecotypes are a result of evolution, they are the version of a species that is best-adapted to the environment where they exist. The challenge is what constitutes a “local” ecotype, meaning the ecotype best adapted to your location. Not nearly enough research has been done to answer all the questions we have, but we do know using a “local” ecotype is important in restoration.

The most important step in ecological restoration, no matter the size, is choosing what to plant and acquiring the right seeds. It can be intimidating. So here is a three-step guide to help:

1) Select species native to your place; usually your county works well. This is very important and often difficult. Accurate information can be hard to find, in part because many species have been moved outside their range by humans. Those troublesome invasive species we battle were initially introduced to a place beyond their native range. If you do the same, you could be contributing to the massive problem that invasive species present.

2) From the list of native species, select those that are correct for the environment where they will be planted. Soil moisture and light level are important factors. Consider the soil type, topography and local geomorphology. Is the planting site on a slope? Is it in a swale or on a ridge? Is the soil sandy? Or, will you be planting seeds in pots on your patio? Will the species in the pots need frequent watering, or perhaps your patio is very shaded?

3) Steps 1 and 2 will result in a list of species that are suitable to plant. Obtain seeds of those species that are “local” ecotype, which means from a supplier within 100 to 150 miles of your planting site. How will you know the seed they are selling is local? You don’t know for sure unless you ask questions. If the seed is Iowa yellow tag, then it is certified to originate from an Iowa prairie. Therefore, if you use yellow tag seed from a grower/supplier located within 150 miles, it is very likely you have local ecotype seed.

This hypothetical example may help. Suppose you live in Boone County and discover that Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop or blue giant hyssop) is great for pollinators because it’s a favorite nectar plant of many native bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. Anise hyssop is also widely available commercially as an ornamental plant. At least eight cultivars have been developed, which means it has been genetically altered into forms that are more pleasing to humans. It is native to western South Dakota, North Dakota, parts of Minnesota, and northwest Wisconsin. Northern Iowa is the southern limit to its range (see maps below). Although listed as an endangered species in Iowa, its true status is more likely extirpated. There are probably many cultivar plants bought from nursery stock growing in gardens throughout Iowa, but they do not have the same genetic makeup and characteristics as the native plants. For someone living in Boone County, anise hyssop fails to pass the first step outlined above: it is not native to Boone county. But there is an alternative option, one that is much better ecologically. You can plant Agastache nepetoides (yellow hyssop), a close relative of anise hyssop and equally as valuable for insects. It will do well in semi-shaded moist sites and is native to Boone County and most of Iowa.

BONAP distribution maps for anise hyssop (left) and yellow hyssop (right). Dark green means the species in question is native to the state. Light green means the species is present in that county and not rare, while yellow indicates that the plant species is present but rare.

Native plants are the best choice for supporting native biodiversity. They are better suited to Iowa’s environments than non-native species, they are easier to establish and maintain, and they are just as attractive and more enjoyable than non-native species. They belong, ecologically, to any place where they are native. But just because a plant species is native to Iowa, that does not mean it is necessarily native to your county. The majority of Iowa’s native plant species are only native to a subset of Iowa counties. That is what makes Iowa’s botanical diversity uniquely interesting!

Inch Your Way to Loving Worms!

by Jessica Butters | Feb 8, 2024

The pretty cecropia moth caterpillar!

We won’t be talking about love or flowers this Valentine’s Day, but we will talk about some love-able critters that can eat flowers! They’re squishy, fluffy, or prickly, and sometimes called worms. They can be striped, spotted, or elaborately camouflaged. They are mini bird burritos, have secret appendages, and can trigger gag reflexes. They will become tomorrow’s moths and butterflies. We’re talking about CATERPILLARS!

What exactly is a caterpillar?

These curious creatures are the larval stage of growth in butterflies and moths. The term “caterpillar” is colloquial, and almost exclusively refers to moths and butterflies (although some moth caterpillars are also called “worms” or “inchworms”). Other insects have different terms for their larval stages, such as “maggots” for fly larvae and “grubs” for beetle larvae.

Most people know that the caterpillar/larval stage is one step in the development process called metamorphosis. But did you know that there are two general kinds of metamorphosis: “complete” and “incomplete”? The big difference between the two is that insects using complete metamorphosis go through a pupal stage (a period where they are inactive for a bit). Butterflies and moths go through complete metamorphosis because a caterpillar forms into a pupa when it develops into a chrysalis or rests inside a cocoon. Insects that go through incomplete metamorphosis do not go through a pupal stage (some examples include dragonflies, praying mantids, and crickets).

A black swallowtail caterpillar with beautiful warning stripes that say “don’t eat me”.

Why so squishy?

Back to caterpillars: why would any animal want to be small, slow, and squishy for a period of their life? What is the advantage, considering how tasty caterpillars are to birds, rodents, and many other animals? About 80% of insects (including bees, ants, fireflies, and more!) use complete metamorphosis to grow, which requires this vulnerable phase. Why is this?

Besides the pupal stage, another hallmark of complete metamorphosis is that the larval stage and adult stage have virtually nothing in common. Most scientists agree that this difference is key to the success of complete metamorphosis: young and adult insects don’t have to compete for the same resources. Caterpillars munch on leaves and grow in vegetation while moths and butterflies sip nectar and fly around looking for mates. But what about the fact that most caterpillars are specialists? Why would caterpillars evolve to be picky?

The brightly colored cloudless sulphur caterpillar!

A red admiral caterpillar feeds on nettles in Brookside Park!

Why so picky?

To name two examples, monarch caterpillars can only eat milkweed, and red admiral caterpillars will only eat nettles. Wouldn’t it be much more advantageous to be able to eat any kind of plant, or at least a more general group of plants? Not necessarily. Specialist caterpillars seem to have better defenses against predation than generalist caterpillars: monarch caterpillars eat poisonous milkweed plants, and red admiral caterpillars hang out in nettles that sting – most animals will learn to avoid these caterpillars. Scientists also think that specialist caterpillars are better at identifying and choosing plants, and consequently eat more. Because so many caterpillars are specialists, it is imperative to plant as many native plants as possible if you want to help butterflies and moths. It’s surprisingly beneficial to be a picky, squishy caterpillar, but it’s still a dangerous world.

Worm weapons!

Plants can’t supply all necessary defenses – many caterpillars must deploy their own wacky weapons to defend their soft, protein-filled bodies. One tactic is coloration. Caterpillars can be camouflaged to look just like bird poop, or have colorful patterns to warn their predators they are poisonous or bad-tasting. Eastern tiger swallowtail caterpillars look almost exactly like miniature snakes, frightening off birds with their life-like eye spots. These caterpillars also have secret appendages, called osmeteria, that they strike out of their head to mimic a snake’s tongue! Other swallowtail species also have colorful osmeteria they can stick out in conjunction with nasty smells and sometimes irritating secretions (not harmful to humans). Other caterpillars take defense to new lengths: fecal firing.

You read that right. To help hide their smell from parasitic wasps, silver-spotted skipper caterpillars catapult their smelly frass (excrement) 38 body lengths away, a distance equivalent to 228 feet for a six-foot human! Curiouser still, some caterpillars like the walnut sphinx moth can squeak or whistle. The whistle sounds like a bird warning call, causing the hungry bird to drop the caterpillar. But let’s get into some hairier defenses.

A snake-mimicking eastern tiger swallowtail, with its osmeterium acting like a snake’s tongue!

Many caterpillars are hairy enough to make some 1980s bands jealous. Sometimes the fluff just means the caterpillars are cute; other times it means they shouldn’t be touched. Many fuzzy caterpillars can have hairs that break on contact, causing irritation on the finger or mouth that touched them. This doesn’t always affect humans; if you’ve handled woolly bear caterpillars before, you’ve handled these kinds of irritating hairs. Other caterpillars can have more irritating hair, or have specialized hairs that can actually deliver mild venoms. Puss caterpillars get a lot of media attention for the sometimes blistering results they can give to human skin, however there have been no sightings of these caterpillars in Iowa (puss caterpillars grow into a particular species of flannel moth). The buck moth and some slug and saddleback moth caterpillars can cause serious irritation, but sightings and encounters are very rare in central Iowa and symptoms normally do not need medical attention (for specifics on venomous caterpillars, read here). Most fuzzy caterpillars in Iowa are harmless or merely have irritating hairs. Removing hairs with tape, washing the area afterwards, and ice or baking soda paste is the best care for minor rashes from caterpillar hairs.

Pictures: Above, a touch-friendly woolly bear caterpillar. Below, a slug caterpillar that may irritate the skin. While not seen often in Iowa, some slug caterpillars can deliver more of a sting. Besides that, they look SO STRANGE! In nature they look like a spider’s shed exoskeleton, and are well-camoflaged in leaf debris. Read more here!

The last caterpillar defense tactic is one that we hope you aren’t dealing with this Valentine’s Day: manipulation. Some caterpillars can trick animals that are usually predators into being their caretakers! Many gossamer-winged butterflies (a family of butterflies comprised of hairstreaks, blues, coppers, etc.) exude pheromones as larvae that trick ants into thinking the caterpillar is a fellow ant. Some of these dainty blue butterflies use this trick to commit social parasitism! Exactly how they utilize ants varies for each species of this butterfly family; for today we will focus on Edward’s hairstreak, a species of special concern in Iowa. This species of butterfly munches oak leaves as a caterpillar, and utilizes mini shelters created by ants. As a young caterpillar, it stays in the trees. But as it grows older, the Edward’s hairstreak caterpillar eats in trees only during the night; as dawn approaches it drops to the base of the tree to hide in ant-made shelters called byres, which are small piles of thatch created from leaves, sticks, and other forest floor materials. The caterpillars secrete a honeydew as a reward for the shelter and protection the ants provide. This relationship is much more in the spirit of the holiday, giving us a loving mutualism rather than parasitism.

Above, an inchworm on my kale plants this year. Below, a monarch caterpillar that could be harmed by garden pesticides!

From beautiful colors to shooting feces and feeding ants, caterpillars are worthy of love and appreciation! To support this wonderful world of worms, be sure to plant a variety of native plants in your yard, and most importantly do not spray pesticides! Yes, many caterpillars will chew on your garden plant leaves. I suggest allowing a part of your garden to become a “nursery”, a subset of plants that you don’t mind getting eaten by caterpillars. You can “babysit” the caterpillars by moving them off the plants you care about and place them onto the plants in the nursery (using gloves if they are fuzzy). By not spraying pesticides and allowing caterpillars to stay in the garden, you win the fun of watching the caterpillars that ate your dill and carrots turn into black swallowtails! Keeping from spraying pesticides also allows you to enjoy bumble bees visiting your tomato plants and bees sleeping in your flowers. By tolerating the presence of insects and a few munched leaves, you can support an entire little ecosystem with your garden, and witness all the drama the insect world has to offer while pulling weeds and watering plants. Let the backyard garden be your gateway to the curious world of caterpillars!

Visit the following links to dive even deeper into the curious world of caterpillars!

– A list of butterfly/caterpillar host plants: https://henderson.ces.ncsu.edu/2021/05/plants-that-host-butterfly-larvae/

– More information on the importance of caterpillars: https://extension.psu.edu/a-case-for-caterpillars

– A fun read on caterpillars in the US: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/03/20/the-little-known-world-of-caterpillars

– More on metamorphosis: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/insect-metamorphosis-evolution/

– More on ant-butterfly relationships: https://sites.tufts.edu/pollinators/2019/07/the-butterflies-who-are-raised-by-ants/

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