At the end of last summer (it was the day of our family’s Icebucket Challenge and quite glorious), the Boy discovered a huge, rather terrifying looking caterpillar. \u00a0We found out that it was the caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk Moth. \u00a0I guess that the name gives away its size.<\/p>\n

As we had an empty ‘box’ (after I failed to keep a couple of tiny African land snails alive), the Tribe decided to keep it and see if they could ‘raise’ the moth that the caterpillar would become. \u00a0The ‘box’ was duly filled with some soil, stones and leaves and within days the caterpillar had dug into the soil and buried itself. \u00a0This was the beginning of its metamorphisis back in September. \u00a0Since then the box has lived primarily on top of the recycling bins in the conservatory, occasionally moved to the floor when bins are emptied and sometimes brought into the laundry room when the temperature’s plumetted over the winter. \u00a0And of course we all lost interest – nothing was happening.<\/p>\n

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