The Freshman

Each year we find monarch caterpillars in our yard, munching on the milkweed plants that grow in the garden on the side of our house. Milkweed is the only plant a monarch will lay its eggs on and the only plant the caterpillar will eat. There are a lot of varieties including ones that have flowers, but I have Honeyvine Milkweed, which is a vine that grows and spreads aggressively. It is typically considered a nuisance in well-manicured garden beds. Fortunately, it turns out I’m not a very good gardener, so I have a ton of it in my gardens. Truthfully, I also don’t want to pull it out knowing the monarchs depend on it.

When we find them, we put them in a butterfly enclosure, feed them fresh water and milkweed leaves several times a day, and wait for them to form their chrysalises. This is one of about 30 caterpillars we found this year! The monarchs often linger for several minutes after we release them which allows me to take some great photos. One of those photos was the inspiration behind this piece, “The Freshman.”

This fall, my first-born daughter started college, and I couldn't help but notice the parallels between the caterpillar’s journey and transformation into a butterfly, and her transformation into an adult leaving home the first time. At first, she depended on us for survival, much like these little caterpillars. We kept her fed, and safe, and watched with amazement as she grew. Then we watched her make this miraculous transformation into a beautiful, mature, funny, smart, caring, and amazing adult. And then she graduated high school and it came time for her to leave home; we proudly watched as she gently flew away on her own. “We raise them to fly. Then we must watch them go.”

Let me know if you have questions about this piece, which is available for purchase in my shop!