Warning! Don't Eat Me!

  Son has often said that if you ingest things that are slightly "toxic" over a period of time, your body will build an immunity to said substance.  I imagine there is some logic in that idea since he is probably the most logical person I know.  You can depend upon his reasonings without a shred of doubt.  That said, even though I fully trust his word, I have yet to find myself with this overwhelming urge to attempt munching on some known toxin.  However, there are some critters that do just that.  They can happily dine upon things that would send the rest of the world for a loop and they do it without seemingly any dire effects.

  Take, for instance, the Gulf Fritillary Butterfly.  The caterpillar will feed upon vines known to contain toxic chemicals and, yet, the caterpillar shows no ill effects, whatsoever.  In fact, that diet is what is its lifeline, in more ways than one.  Since the caterpillar eats toxins, it is poisonous to anything that eats it.  The very thing that kills other critters saves the caterpillar's life.  One of the identified host plants is the passion flower vine.  Its toxic chemicals stay in the caterpillar's body even after it transforms into a butterfly.  This makes the butterfly toxic to other critters (such as birds) that wish to eat it.  The bright orange coloring is a warning!

  This pretty butterfly visited the gardens this morning and seemed to be partial to resting in the nandina bushes.  Occasionally, it would flit down to hover over the lantana blooms before heading back to the nandinas.  The morning sunbeams made its orange wings seem even brighter than normal making me think of fall...orange always makes me think of fall.  A bit of wishful thinking there.