"Pine processionary" caterpillar lives for a year as a larva and a pupa, just to live a single day as a moth
AREN'T WEE ALL CRAWLING ALL OUR LIVES JUST TO FLY FOR A SINGLE DAY?
In this time of year, you can see a lot of these silken nests on branches of pines.
They belong to pine processionary, little moth that the most of us find ugly to see. You can find them in all places with temperate climate in Europe or Asia. Now it is not a season of the year in which is possible to take photos of caterpillars or moths, only these nests are available to see.
So what happens in there?
Inside, there are eggs of pine processionary or Thaumetopoea pityocampa. When they hatch, they will be larvae and they will eat needle - leaves of pines in their first stage of life. Then, they will become caterpillars. When you see a group of these caterpillars, your first thought is that it's a rope. When you get closer, you notice that it's just group of insects in a procession, going in a line, one by one. That's why they call it pine processionary.
Their hair is highly irritable to skin of humans and animals.
This is their defense system. I am actually familiar with a case of my neighbor's dog. The poor guy ate a lot of these caterpillars and died few hour later. So I keep my dog on the leash when I see these little creatures. But they are not only pests, they are important part of diet of some little birds.
When they are ready to pupate, they are marching together under the soil.
It usually happens in the June. Each of them create silken cocoon about 20 millimeters long. And those cocoons are merged together and look like one. Some of these pupas can be in the cocoon for more years. But they usually come out as moths in the August.
Then, you can see them at night flying around the street lights.
The females are about 4 centimeters long and males are little bit smaller. They have brown or grey wings. And this is the most interesting in their life circle:
They live hard life as larvae, crawling on the ground and finding protection on pines. All that process just to live a single day as moths. So, should these animals be some kind of example for humans? Work and suffer all your life to enjoy in the results only for a moment?
ALL PHOTOS ABOVE (NESTS) WERE TAKEN BY ME, BUT TWO PHOTOS BELOW WERE DOWNLOADED BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY TO FIND LIVE CATERPILLARS OR MOTHS IN THIS TIME OF YEAR! THE SOURCE IS HERE.
DOWNLOADED PHOTOS:
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Thank you for posting @dumar022. Amazing photographs and lovely composition.
In response to your statement above regarding ....crawling all of our lives in order to fly one single day. Another way to look at life perhaps .....It is said...we are as a vapor trail...here today...gone tomorrow. To where? It depends on your attitude toward Christ. Your destiny depends on it....faith alone in Christ Jesus alone for salvation.
Thank you for opportunity to ponder these things.
There is a lovely children's book called.... The Hungry Caterpillar...which was also brought to mind by your well written post.
All the best to you and yours.
Thank you for this comment, @bleujay. I guess, all living beings have purpose so we build each others up, just like Lego. But that's just about life here on Earth. I like to believe that in afterlife there is no such thing as "life circle". I enjoy reading your principles every day! :)
Thank you for your kind words @dumar022.
If 'life circle' means birth...life...death....then rest assured there is not....'it is for man once to die and then the resurrection'......where those who believe in Christ are given bodies that live eternally in the presence of God forever. Since God is just and wise....absolute good and fair....sounds like a good plan to bleujay.
Glad you enjoy the principles...it is a good place to start on the journey toward truth...as they are fundamental truths we humans could use reminding of from time to time.
Wishing you and yours all the best. Cheers.
Thank you, @bleujay, once again, for beautiful comments