This is the time of year when the Monarchs are getting ready for their migration South. I have had the privilege of watching two caterpillars grow from a tiny spec to full size on my milkweed plant. Each day I watched the hungry caterpillars eating leaf after leaf...they are quite veracious eaters!
Today they stopped being caterpillars, shed their skin, and transformed into a chrysalis! It happened so fast once they positioned themselves upside down on the roof of the butterfly house I placed them in. What set this process into motion? How did it know that NOW was the time?
In this development time the once caterpillar turns into a liquid goo resembling nothing like its previous form. From this liquid state a butterfly will emerge. It baffles the mind! I feel so privileged to be witness to this metamorphosis.
The Monarch is a perfect symbol for transformation, renewal, and moving thru different life cycles. The butterfly emphasizes the ability to move from one state, perspective, or lifestyle to another. This symbolism in Nature reminds us of our interconnection with her. Like the butterfly we are all on a long journey that entails many twists, turns, and changes. These conditions cause us to shed the layers of our old self in order to be re-birthed into the new, wiser, and empowered self.
Go outside! Nature is calling you!
Did You Know: From October to late March Monarchs in Eastern North America have a second home in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. Monarchs use a combination of air currents and thermals to travel long distances. Some fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach their winter home! Monarchs can travel between 50-100 miles a day and it can take up to two months to complete their journey. The farthest ranging Monarch butterfly recorded traveled 265 miles in one day!