One of the things you don’t necessarily think about when planting a butterfly garden is loss. It’s so exciting to concentrate on the new, beauty and possibility. But the circle of life, has loss too. It can be hard to watch at times. Other times it can be glorious.
This was a glorious time, in our garden. Winter came a little early compared to recent years. We had 17 monarch caterpillars finishing out the last of our Milkweed. They chomped, climbed and took forever to become huge caterpillars. Then they started disappearing. I put up a camera to watch the Milkweed and see were they falling prey? Of 17, 4 made it long enough to attempt the J pose and try and transform. 4 others died looking for the perfect spot. As for the other 9, the camera did not catch what happened, so still a mystery.
By now you are likely thinking, “You said this was a glorious time, those odds are not glorious.” Yes, it felt that way for me as I experienced it too. But when I saw this caterpillar, forming a J, on a PorterWeed in a great protected spot in the garden I just had a feeling.
The other caterpillars that formed chrysalis’ did within a day of this one. One never completed the chrysalis before its resources gave out. Another fell off its leaf, on a money plant and punctured. Another perched on patio furniture but never fully transformed. Even though the rest did not make it, this chrysalis on the Porter Weed looked so healthy. I had to hope.
So I waited and watched. 24 days went buy. Temperatures dipped into the 30’s two nights. Daytime temps hovered in the 50’s and 60’s as much as the 70’s. I started to think it was hopeless.
Then I wandered out to help my son with a science project and saw this…
Take a look at the bottom right, you can see the empty chrysalis. This beauty had just emerged, spread its wings and was drying them out. It was cold, in the 50’s. And it was windy. But this monarch was determined. Again after 24 days, here it was preparing to take flight.
It climbed up a long flower stalk, and slowly pumped its wings, for 4 hours it remained on this plant. It was patient. And sometimes the monarch had to really cling on.
A little before nightfall the Monarch took off. Its brief time in our garden was a big gift. Especially after losing so many caterpillars. It beat the odds in the cold and the wind. Our garden had few bloomers left to even feed on before the flight. But it made it.
