The Great Sandy Ridge Caterpillar Rescue Caper!

"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." ~ John Bunyan

The weather was cool and breezy and just glorious, one of the first days that felt like autumn is truly coming!!! My husband and I seized the opportunity and went hiking up on Sandy Ridge. 

There are fields on top that at certain times of year are full of butterflies. Well, I saw a few monarchs but not a lot. I was feeling a bit disappointed. But then we walked through the fields to get back to our starting point and discovered all of these huge monarch caterpillars feasting on milkweed!

This is the generation of monarch caterpillars that will turn into butterflies and make their long and perilous journey southward. Some will travel up to 3,000 miles! They are sometimes called the Methuselah generation, as they live MUCH longer than regular monarch butterflies, which live only three to six weeks. These live EIGHT MONTHS - long enough to make the trip. They must be protected, at all costs!

The caterpillars were in an area, though, where it looked like the ranger was preparing to do some mowing. We were worried that mowing that area would kill the caterpillars. Even DRIVING on it would harm a bunch of them. What to do? How to help?

So my husband and I identified the plants that seemed most in jeopardy, and carefully (using milkweed leaves as their magic carpets) picked up and moved more than two dozen fat and sassy monarch caterpillars out of the danger zone and into safety on the larger milkweed plants in a more protected area at the edge of the woods. Here is my husband, self-appointed monarch caterpillar transporter, holding two of the rescued caterpillars, on their way to safety.

I have never even seen such a thing, or experienced such a thing, and it was strange and awesome and weird and silly and delightful. We felt like we were doing the right thing by moving these precious creatures out of harm's way.

Imagine the story those butterflies will have to tell their grandchildren! Ha ha ha ha!!! And as for me, I count it a blessing to have been put in the right place, at the right time, to help. My husband and I are actually STILL giddy with the joy of it. When was the last time you held a miracle in your hands? Let alone TWO DOZEN or more of them!?

Our soundtrack song is Steppenwolf, with Magic Carpet Ride. I'm back to add an additional song per my husband's request, as we were singing it as we performed our rescues! :-) Here is Rescue Aid Society, from the Disney film The Rescuers. 

More photos appear here on Instagram.