My cousin Julena keeps the most delightful garden. I view her patch of earth as her special escape, her time-catcher, her constant project, her love, and her art. Seeing how her lush Eden has grown and what unique container she has found to house her newest plants cheers my spirit. I love how she'll offer me tea with a freshly snipped sprig of mint, or steamy soup with herbs from her own backyard.
For my birthday, she and her family, Jillian, Tim, and Joshua gave me smartly chosen, specific pieces of her garden clustered nicely in one glazed red pot; what she affectionately called my butterfly bowl.
Inspired by this gift, I watered it and watched it and willed it to grow. I will not kill my plants, I will not kill my plants. I can do this! The parsley and lavender seemed to thrive, but the once flourishing sweet alyssum (pictured below), seemed to be dying. I kept at it. It'll come back; it's okay.
Then one morning before work, I rushed out to water my small garden in my backyard, and I saw the reason that my sweet alyssum was disappearing. A plethora of little green caterpillars wriggled and munched all over the dwindling sweet alyssum. Previously so small, I wasn't even able to see them. I could only see the evidence that they existed because they were eating up my plant! I wasn't very productive that day at work because I was so distracted and eager to go back to my caterpillars!
Gradually, the number of caterpillars lessened because some were eaten by birds and wasps, and others couldn't survive since the butterfly bowl didn't have enough sweet alyssum for them all to share. These particular caterpillars weren't interested in any other plant in the bowl which there was plenty of - those picky eaters!
I bought more sweet alyssum for them. I planted it (quite poorly) in a different pot and placed it strategically right next to the butterfly bowl, but they didn't crawl over.
The chunkiest of all the caterpillars began to climb the tall, leafy plant in the center of the butterfly bowl. This critter innately knew it was time for a change. Half way up the stalk, she slowed down and found a spot to rest. Of all of those busy, hungry caterpillars, only one made it to this point. This little survivor shed her skin one final time to build her cocoon.
I unfortunately missed the exit of the single butterfly from the bowl, but I'm sure it was lovely. Thank you, family, for this beautiful gift!
This picture isn't the butterfly that matches this cocoon, but I had to include a photo of one!
"Happiness is a butterfly which, when pursued is always beyond our grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."
Happy,
For my birthday, she and her family, Jillian, Tim, and Joshua gave me smartly chosen, specific pieces of her garden clustered nicely in one glazed red pot; what she affectionately called my butterfly bowl.
Inspired by this gift, I watered it and watched it and willed it to grow. I will not kill my plants, I will not kill my plants. I can do this! The parsley and lavender seemed to thrive, but the once flourishing sweet alyssum (pictured below), seemed to be dying. I kept at it. It'll come back; it's okay.
Then one morning before work, I rushed out to water my small garden in my backyard, and I saw the reason that my sweet alyssum was disappearing. A plethora of little green caterpillars wriggled and munched all over the dwindling sweet alyssum. Previously so small, I wasn't even able to see them. I could only see the evidence that they existed because they were eating up my plant! I wasn't very productive that day at work because I was so distracted and eager to go back to my caterpillars!
Gradually, the number of caterpillars lessened because some were eaten by birds and wasps, and others couldn't survive since the butterfly bowl didn't have enough sweet alyssum for them all to share. These particular caterpillars weren't interested in any other plant in the bowl which there was plenty of - those picky eaters!
I bought more sweet alyssum for them. I planted it (quite poorly) in a different pot and placed it strategically right next to the butterfly bowl, but they didn't crawl over.
The chunkiest of all the caterpillars began to climb the tall, leafy plant in the center of the butterfly bowl. This critter innately knew it was time for a change. Half way up the stalk, she slowed down and found a spot to rest. Of all of those busy, hungry caterpillars, only one made it to this point. This little survivor shed her skin one final time to build her cocoon.
I unfortunately missed the exit of the single butterfly from the bowl, but I'm sure it was lovely. Thank you, family, for this beautiful gift!
This picture isn't the butterfly that matches this cocoon, but I had to include a photo of one!
"Happiness is a butterfly which, when pursued is always beyond our grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."
~Nathaniel Hawthorne
My sweet alyssum and me are sitting quietly.
Happy,
Dawn
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