I was out hiking around a friend’s land last week when we noticed a big fuzzy caterpillar in our path, climbing down a stalk of whatever plant grows so wildly out on that particular hill. Itching for a chance to use my Canon macro lens, arguably the sharpest lens Canon makes, I set down my pack and dug out the gear. This little fella wasn’t shy at all. He just took his time climbing around as I snapped away.

As I got ready to continue with the hike, I turned my pack over to find this guy on the back. Apparently I’d found a rather rude (from a caterpillar’s point of view) place to set down my pack, and he was transferred from his particular plant to the strap. I deposited him back on something green, took a few snapshots for his trouble, and moved along.

At that point I looked around and could see a whole army of caterpillars, which hopefully will mean a good crop of butterflies later on. It’s good to see things so vibrant on this hills, which are also greener than I’ve seen in recent memory. This is truly a wonderful Spring, with plenty of moisture to heal the parched land. If the caterpillars are any indication of the state of things, it loooks like our drought-stricken area is on the mend.