Your Home, Garden and Travel

Seeing a Monarch butterfly—in any stage of the lifecycle—is, and continues to be, the biggest thrill for me. Capturing this shot of a Monarch caterpillar as it begins the formation of a chrysalis is the photo that makes me happiest.

What I like about the photo (click to enlarge) is the depth-of-field, the lavender bloom of the lantana and the detail of the caterpillar attached to the arched plume of fountain grass. The background is the gray flagstone of my garden walk.

This caterpillar left the planting of milkweed in the garden and chose to use a container arrangement for the chrysalis! The Monarch butterfly successfully emerged and was also captured by my camera.

The Monarch butterflies will hopefully return to my area soon. There is now even more milkweed in my garden, a Monarch Waystation, ready to host the amazing stages of the Monarch lifecycle.

This photo is my entry for the Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest for June.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.