We saw the first ones this morning: they were crossing Cuesta Road, and looked extremely vulnerable - so we found leaves, and twigs, and rescued them. And then a couple more. And then on a late-afternoon walk, down Monte Alto and along the railroad trail, it was all we could do to avoid stepping on them - they were crossing the trail; marching down it; heading off into the weeds. Some were big and fat and an inch and a half long; others the length of your middle finger nail. I couldn't understand why there weren't birds everywhere gorging themselves. And I became convinced they might be special, and in need of conservation - didn't they look a bit like Monarch caterpillars? Alice started to count them, and then gave up once we started hitting the hundreds.
It turns out these caterpillars - the ones that aren't trodden on or run over - will turn into Euscirrhopterus gloveri - or purslane moths - a species of owlet moths (which, maybe, look a tiny bit like tiny owls, or maybe not). Purslane moths, because, yes, they feed on purslane, which grows like mad in all the monsoon wetness that we've been having. Judging by their numbers, we're going to have a lot of moths. And purslane, it turns out, is also good in salads, so I may be out gathering its little leaves, if there are any left ...
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