The Assassin

  The Florence Fennel is doing extraordinarily well this summer.  I suppose the daily rainstorms are good for its health although the water is taking a toll on the tomatoes.  Fennel will have to somehow become a daily part of our diet at this rate.  I suppose this will be ok except I really don't think the fennel will ever replace tomato sauce in a spaghetti dish! A new diet will have to be pondered.

  Today while Mark and I were out and about between thunderstorms, we noticed that the fennel plants were covered with caterpillars once again.  The Black Swallowtail butterflies must have been busy!  We counted over thirty caterpillars on one clump of the fennel.  Geez!  I suppose I could have started picking and squishing the critters but something tells me to just leave them be.  I like butterflies and you just cannot have one without the other.  While we were staring at the munching and crunching caterpillars, Mother Nature took measures to stop the total ruination of my fennel.  A wasp violently attacked one fat caterpillar!  

   In a matter of minutes, the wasp was making a meal of the hapless critter.  I had never seen a wasp rip into another critter with such voracity!  This thing was literally ripping the poor critter to pieces!  It was not a pretty sight but mealtime in the wild rarely is.  The wasp tore piece after piece from the caterpillar.  It did not take long for the caterpillar to be mostly consumed.  All the while, their sibling was being devoured, the other caterpillars calmly munched their own meal.  Not once did a single one seem to be disturbed by the actions of the wasp even though the assassination took place just inches from their place on the stalk.  None were afraid that they were to be eaten next. None made an effort to come to the aid of their sibling.  They just placidly ate. Wow!  The Wild World Of Nature is a strange one.

  Perhaps I needn't be too upset about the caterpillars on the fennel.  It seems that Mother Nature always has a way of balancing things.  I know that since the wasp found an easy source of food, it will be back to attack again and again.  The wasps of the garden will keep things in check.