I tried everything I could to grow milkweed in the orchard this year. I refrigerated the seeds for 2 weeks and started them in a medium and breathed desperate life into them every day. And I failed, again and again.

Monarch butterflies when in caterpillar form will feed exclusively on the leaves of milkweed. Without it, they cannot produce offspring and the lineage dies. Growing milkweed in our area is critical to the survival of this beautiful butterfly.

Sadly, due to high crop farming practices across Kansas, much of the natural milkweed has been cleared. I long to create a habitat that will help support them, but growing milkweed is HARD.

Walking around the trees today, I stumbled upon this beauty by complete surprise. It’s amazing and humbling… that the very thing I couldn’t do is here without any human input at all. All I have to do is provide a safe, chemical free space for these caterpillars to grow and feed. And I’m happy to do that.

This just reminds me that I have very little control over any of it. And that is the best reminder.