We Have Visitors!!
It is AMAZING to truly watch and see Mother Nature at work!! All the work as been in anticipation of creating a space for the Monarchs, and they are here!!
It has not been easy or quick for this to happen. They has been set backs which have turned into rekindaling my passion. Let me start at the beginning for those of you that don't know the whole story. If you have been following the blog please skip this paragraph!! My passion for butterfiles started after my mom passed away. My brother told a story of taking his daughters to the park and a butterfly stayed close by. He told his girls that it was Grandma and that's how this passion started. There has been so many times that I wished for my mom to be somewhere and low and behold there was a butterfly. When I've been happy or sad and just needed her for a moment there was a butterfly. At my niece's graduation in the wind a butterfly landed and stayed for almost the whole time, she was there!! My friend had milkweed and told me of her time with her coffee in the morning and watching them and seeing their Chrysalis (cocoon) and enjoying the butterflies. Then we went to the Butterfly Wonderland together and found out that the Monarch's are becoming extinct. I have always had a vegatable garden and this year I thought I would have a Butterfly Garden. I worked hard getting the dirt ready and even bought MilkWEED seeds online. I couldn't believe I spent so many years trying to keep the weeds out and now I'm buying seeds to grown them. I also got a Milkweed plant for my birthday that I planted in the front yard since I thought it would be another place for the Monarch to feel safe. I had some bigger plants but still no sign of any butterflies. So I went to visit my friend and brought some caterpillars from her house to my garden. I've been busy watching them ever since.
Now to bring it current. In the front yard where I had planted the Milkweed Plant there has not been much action even after putting the transplant caterpillars there. And I hadn't seen ANY of the other transplants for sometime in the Butterfly Garden.
We had some plumbing issues and the plumbers had to dig up the Milkweed in the front yard to do their work. When they did they found a caterpillar and my sweet husband moved it to the Butterfly Garden and laid it next to a Milkweed. I was able to watch him again and noticed that there was two others wondering around the Garden eating a lot of milkweed. I was able to follow one caterpillar to where he will become a Chrysalis. It has been so fun to watch this. Yesterday, my husband's daughter with her good eyes was able to find a tiny baby caterpillar. This is very exciting to me because it means that butterflies have found the garden and have laid eggs.
I have tried to think why I'm really so excited about this. Is it for trying to save the Monarch? Is it because it makes me feel closer to my mom? Is it because I'm missing nurturing since all of my kids are grown and out of the house? Or is it because all of my work and preparation is starting to pay off? Maybe it's a little of all of these combined!!
Whatever it is I'm EXCITED about sharing these photos with you. From the tiny caterpillar, to the Chrysalis to the caterpillar ready to start his process....
