Metamorphasis, It is Amazing!

Several weeks ago a dear friend's mother passed away.  Kevin and I had only met her a few times, but she seemed like quite a lovely person.  I didn't know before her passing, but she was a great lover of nature and monarch butterflies.  (Now it makes perfect sense that she gave Benny and Claire the book "The Lorax" and this neat ladybug that shines stars and the moon in the dark.)  Each year, she liked to order caterpillars and watch them become butterflies.  Turns out she ordered the caterpillars before her passing.  Our friend was kind enough to give Benny a few caterpillars and a few milkweed plants to plant in our backyard.

3 very hungry caterpillars munching on their milkweed...

Benny the butterfly farmer

When the caterpillars are reading to make their chrysalis, they hang upside down in this "J" shape

Making its chrysalis

The chrysalis stayed green until day 10.  Then, it became a purplish/black color.

A butterfly emerges!  This happens fast.  I was keeping a close eye on it all morning.  I went to put Claire down for her nap.  When I came back downstairs, we had a butterfly!

Getting ready to release our butterfly a day later.

Beautiful.

So sweet.

We had so much fun watching our caterpillar turn into a butterfly.  Benny already loves the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" so he was thrilled to feed our caterpillars new leaves everyday.  The transformation from egg, to caterpillar, to butterfly really is amazing.  A testament to the beauty of God's creation and the intricacy in which He made all things.

For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies,

Lord of all, to thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.