Cait's Garden

There are many reasons I love to garden. At the heart of it all is that I love nature. It is hugely important to my life. I like to think that gardeners, especially those of us who take pains to use native plants and go chemical free in our yards, are providing sanctuaries for wildlife that would otherwise be fading away in our urban jungles.  Sometimes, the pains we take truly pay off in a tangible way. Case in point, this Monarch Butterfly.

Let me back up. For the past few years, I’ve consciously planted several flowers in the milkweed variety because they are host plants for Monarch larvae. I didn’t see any results, but figured the butterflies would eventually see my yard as a home. Last year I put in this huge plant called a Swamp Milkweed. Apparently, that one was the charm. About 10 days ago, I noticed this beautiful green thimble hanging from the siding on the garage, a few feet away from the milkweed plant. I researched it and discovered it was a Monarch caterpillar in the process of transforming into a butterfly. It was kind of late in the season. October butterflies, if they make it, are the ones who will fly to Mexico to mate. I was worried, with the cold evenings, that this little guy wouldn’t survive. But today, he/she hatched out, and as you can see, is gorgeous. I was beyond thrilled to see it. I hope this is only the first of many butterflies created and nourished in my backyard.

In my own small way, I helped make that butterfly. That is pretty fabulous. That is why I garden.