THURSDAY IN THE GARDEN WITH DANTE: WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT?

Dante is waiting in his chair on the front porch for you to arrive so he can begin today's tour.

"Welcome!  Today I am gonna shows yoo fings dat are noo in my garden.  An' along da way, we'll check on sum old fafurites, too."

"Furst of all, dere's sumfin noo rite here on the front porch!  Excuse me wiles I sniffs it out."

"It is a waterin' can dat's supposta look like me, I fink.  But da legs is fah too skinneh.  It wuz a gift frum my Auntie Susan who lives across da street.  I luvs mai Auntie Susan!"

"Wot duz yoo fink?  Is dere any resemblance?"

"An' I'm off!  If yoo wonts ta see da rest den follow me."

"Dis is my fafurite tree.  It needs a talkin' to efurry now an' den.  Say hello, efurryone!"

"An' I likes ta give it a pat on the back fur bein' dere wenefur I needs sumwun ta lean on."  

"OK.  Let's keep movin'. Dere's no time ta waste.  Keep up wif me, willya?"

"Our next stop is the wiegelas.  Dey is bustin' out all ofur!  Well done, buddies!" 

"Now dis is sumfin verreh noo -- in fact I had ta look it up on da innernets ta find out all about it!  In our pot wif da pink geraniums, we has little visitors.  APURRopriately enuff, dey is CATerpillars!  Wot else wood yoo expect in a Cat Garden?  Anyway, heer is sum information about dem.  Dey shur are cool liddle suckahs!"

 "Geometridae is the official name of the family of caterpillars that look like twigs or sticks. The color and markings on these caterpillars allow them to blend in with trees such that people and predators mistake them for part of the branches. The Geometridae includes more than 300 species of moth caterpillars." 

"Stick caterpillars are brown or brownish-red with occasional darker markings on them. They are thin and long, similar to how sticks and twigs look. Additionally, these caterpillars have warts and other types of knots on them to enhance their stick-like appearance."

"The caterpillars in the family grouping Geometridae have two pairs of prolegs and no legs on the abdomen. As such, in order for the caterpillars to move forward they have to loop themselves up and then straighten out again, which is how they got the nickname "loopers."

"We efun saw a green baby CATerpillar!  It is so neat how dey hangs onto da plant leaf by jus' a coupla back legs.  Dey kin extend demselves straight out like a twig an' dey sway in da breeze.  Awesum!"

 "An' heer's sumfin OLD in da garden (oldah dan me, anyway)!  It's my sistah, Domino.  Efurryone say hello to Domino!"

"An' dis is de end of da tour.  We has come arownd full circle an' we're back at da front porch.  I fink we saw sum pretty interestin' fings along da way.  Fank yoo fur joinin' me an' have a good day  You've URNed it!"