Hippopotamus???

Anthony and I found this catterpillar in the backyard a few weeks ago. I thought it was so pretty! I explained to him what a catterpillar was and how they turn into butterflies (just like in his "The Very Hungry Catterpillar" book). He was so interested, and he kept wanting to pet him. Well, we put him back where we found him and went to do something else. A few minutes later, Anthony starts talking about a hippopotamus. Then he asks "See hippopotamus?" "See hippopotamus?" I'm standing there a little dumbfounded trying to figure out what exactly he is talking about. Then he runs to the back of the yard and points to the bush where we found the catterpillar, and says "See hippopotamus?" And finally it dawns on me he has his words mixed up!!! I guess it's an easy mistake--both words have a lot of syllables! I reminded him it was a catterpillar, and now he's got it down pat! Maybe we should make a trip to the zoo soon to see the hippos and set the record straight once and for all! ;)

By the way, does anyone know if catterpillars kill parsley? I HAD two kinds of parsley in my herb garden--flat leaf Italian and curly leaf. I kept finding the catterpillars on the Italian parsley, and now my plant is pretty much dead. But they left the curly one alone--it is literally right next to the dead plant, and it is thriving! Maybe even catterpillars know that Italian flat leaf parsley is the better choice!!! ;)