Negative experiences

The caterpillars of the nocturnal butterfly “the hawk moth” (Hyles euphorbiae), like this one which I discovered yesterday in the Serra de l’Obac, feed on poisonous plants of the Euforbia genus.

The white latex contained in these plants is extremely poisonous, so the caterpillars are also poisonous.

Hence the vivid colours presented by these larvae are to be interpreted as a chromatic warning (aposematic coloration) for birds or other prospective predators.

Should a young, inexperienced bird try to swallow one of these caterpillars, it will vomit it out immediately and will never forget the lesson.

We also learn from negative experiences! How right the psalmist was when he wrote, referring to God, “You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity” (Psalm 39:11)