Our friends would have never "dreamed" about a night hunting of the Noctua caterpillar in the vineyard when they planned their visit to us. But a slow warming spring made it suddenly a mission for all of us.
Because it's a slow warming spring, a little creature called Noctua caterpillar will come out of the ground at night, climb up the vines, eat the buds of the vine plants when they just begin to shoot, and as the consequence, those shoots will not bear fruits once been eaten by the caterpillars.
In order to save the "buds" of our precious vines without using pesticides to ruin the soil, in this dark night, with iPhones and pocket lamps, leaning into our ancestral instincts, we all turned into the "hunters"... The vineyard at night is mysterious, tranquil but full of lives. We all felt an ancient but familiar childhood feeling is calling us when we dived into the dark, opening our senses...
After the first caterpillar revealed itself, we know what we shall look for. Soon the bar of the game raises... We ladies are good "spotters", the boys are good "killers", and our diligent husbands, mmmh, they walked more than any of us, but found little. Maybe the "game" is too small for them?... ;-P
We hunted and hunted, till the iPhones exhausted... On our way back, we caught a "king" caterpillar, as the big bonus, closed our hunting event with a big triumph. And we felt totally deserving some wines and apple juices... If the caterpillar could have been toasted in the fireplace, that would make the hunting ritual completed. :-)
But one thing is for sure, we will never forget this "one night hunt" of the Noctua caterpillars together with our beloved friends "JöMi". What a precious moments to be connected to all the children inside of us.
