Part of the enjoyment I get out of my flowerbeds and wildflower field is watching the transformation that happens throughout the seasons. From May through September there’s a constant change of flowers, greenery, animals, birds and insects. 

I spend a lot of time walking around in my wildflower field, checking to see what new plants have come up, which ones are nearly ready to bloom, and which ones have completed their showy display for the year and are ready for me to gather and spread their seeds so their beauty will continue to expand. I’m thrilled when a new flower shows up, whether by luck or from seed I gathered elsewhere and scattered around.

Just like people, much of nature’s beauty is hidden from casual glance. You have to take the time to look for it, but once discovered it’s worth the search. You may notice a stand of trees, but if you take the time to really look, you’ll discover that along with the mature trees are vines curving up their trunks, forest flowers and ferns scattered throughout the undergrowth and young seedlings vying for a spot of sunlight.

Squirrels scamper from branch to branch, birds flit about and mice and chipmunks nose around the fallen leaves. There may be a deer stepping through on its way elsewhere, or a possum or rabbit peering through the foliage. Insects hum about everywhere.

My wildflower field is a lot like that. In July it’s in full bloom, a riot of color and flowers in all shapes and sizes that can be easily seen by the casual passerby. During other parts of the year much of its beauty can be harder to appreciate without walking out into it and taking the time to look. The flowers are just as beautiful, they’re just smaller and hidden within the grasses.

I have quite a bit of milkweed this year, both in my field and my wildflower bed planted near the house. Examining the plants closely around a month ago I noticed nearly every single one was hosting either a monarch caterpillar or a number of smaller tiger moth caterpillars.

I hadn’t seen that many monarch caterpillars since I was a kid, so I was excited by my discovery and watched them avidly the next few weeks. I saw tiny ones barely a quarter inch long all the way to big fat ones, each chomping hungrily away at the leaves. It’s amazing how fast one caterpillar can decimate a milkweed plant.

I was especially happy with my find as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has been petitioned to place the monarch butterfly on the endangered or threatened species list; a decision will be made by the end of 2020. Monarch populations have declined by approximately 90% in just the past couple of decades. 

People have taken action against the decline however, so I saw the abundance of caterpillars as a hopeful sign that their efforts have been successful.

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to find a monarch caterpillar hanging upside down on a milkweed leaf in position to make a chrysalis. By the next morning it had succeeded, creating a beautiful green and gold safe haven for it to begin its transformation.

I watched it closely for the next two weeks. One day I noticed it was becoming translucent and I could see the outline of a wing. The next day the metamorphosis was complete. The new butterfly emerged from its chrysalis and spent most of the day stretching and drying its wings before flying off.

No matter how old I’ve gotten, the wonder and beauty of that transformation has never ceased to amaze me and leave me with a smile. Watching the process this time I started to think, wouldn’t it be great if humans could make a complete metamorphosis in just two weeks?

Everyone has changes they’d like to make to their lives, whether it be health, looks, career, relationships or something else. Change is hard, complete transformation is even harder.

Imagine if people could snuggle up in bed, close their eyes and fall sleep, emerging two weeks later to a complete metamorphosis. What an amazing world that would be! With such little effort required we’d all be the “perfect” version of ourselves we see in our heads.

Unfortunately, transformation is much harder for people than it is for monarch caterpillars. We have to work hard at it, and complete metamorphosis is rare. Most of us don’t succeed. Even so, if we look below our surface, most of us would discover we’re not so bad after all.

Take the time to look at yourself and the world around you more closely as you go through life. I guarantee you will be amazed at the beauty you find.