An Accidental Ecology Lesson
Wildflowers, Caterpillars and Butterflies
- Taken
- September 17, 2026
- Subject
- Monarch Butterfly
- Image
- 4348 × 5788 pixels · JPEG · 4.7 MB
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Photographer’s Notes
I first noticed the bright wildflower growing uninvited beside my deck and admired it without knowing its name. Then I saw the boldly striped caterpillar and learned that the plant was milkweed and its visitor was a monarch caterpillar. The connection fascinated me: monarch caterpillars can eat only milkweed. At first, the caterpillar seemed to be destroying the plant. But milkweed can be stripped of its leaves and grow back. The plant is not merely a victim. Feeding the caterpillar is part of its ecological role; recovering is part of its resilience. I stopped to photograph a wildflower and a caterpillar—and received an accidental lesson in dependence, transformation, and renewal.