My Very Hungry Caterpillar

Last night after dinner Sophie and George went out to check on the vegetable boxes. The pumpkin plants have grown to such a massive size, they are almost frightening. The carrots are plugging along as they should be, and the lettuce, well, the lettuce is being enjoyed by some very hungry and very cute caterpillars. Sophie and Emma could not have been more excited about our backyard visitors. They have 'rescued' three caterpillars, who were still contentedly nested in a dish of lettuce by the back door this morning. Sophie just ran into the office happily shrieking, 'The caterpillars are still there!!" Apparently their names are: Squiggly, Biggly, and Roly. (Roly is Sophie's caterpillar because he fancies her the best.)

Emma and Squiggly

So... does anyone know how to kindly deter caterpillars from getting into the lettuces? My children would never forgive me if I were to sprinkle Acme Caterpillar Killer into the boxes, and that really goes against our whole "grow-your-own" philosophy anyway. Do we need to invest in some ducks for the back garden? They like to eat bugs and such, right?

After all of the caterpillar drama, Sophie ate a good bit of a thoroughly washed, somewhat holey head of lettuce with some Thousand Island dressing. She gave the snack two big thumbs up. I think about the fact that my grandparents used to grow vegetables in their various gardens year round, and I never regarded it as anything fantastic at the time. Now I wish I had paid much more attention. The self-sufficiency that used to be commonplace and common-sense now seems to be largely lost on our generation. I don't know the first thing about canning beans or knitting a baby blanket, and I grew up with an expert for a grandmother. How did that happen? I will have to ask her for some tips soon....or maybe she will write that book we've been bugging her about!