His Love for Me

During this difficult time of uncertainty because of the Coronavirus, you can rest assured God is in control. Social distancing is something I’d never heard before this virus. You may be miles apart from your loved ones or feel miles apart from them in your own home. But, God is with you every step of the way. I don’t know what you are going through, but God is greater. ”You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 Brian Littrell wrote a song titled Over my Head. Many years ago, I played it over and over a million times during one of the most difficult times in my life. Through his song, the Lord reached down and literally touched my heart and soul. He showed me the depths of His love for me. 1 John 4:4 It is neat that this monarch butterfly looks like he is giving the flower a hug. In Jeremiah 33:3, it states, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Numbers 6:24-26 states, Jeremiah 33:3, it states, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Numbers 6:24-26 states, “May the LORD bless you and keep you; May the LORD cause His face to shine upon you And be gracious to you; May the LORD lift up His countenance toward you And give you peace.” It is neat that this monarch butterfly looks like he is giving the flower a hug.

Their Journey North

The monarch butterflies are on their way back to the States from wintering in Mexico. I raised many monarch butterflies last year. I also tagged 51 monarchs through Monarch Watch to help understand their migration to Mexico. If you are interested in tracking their migration, Google “Journey North.” A migration map shows real-time sightings of these beautiful creatures. I am so excited and can’t wait to see my first one!

“His Love”

Did you notice the heart on the ladybug? I noticed it while editing the image. Valentine’s Day—some people love the holiday because they have a significant other. Some don’t enjoy it because they don’t have one. They may have even lost their loved one to death. You may not think you are truly loved on Valentine’s Day or any day, but you are. God loves you very much. His love for you is deeper than you can even imagine. Deeper than any human can fathom. “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

Aldora

This is Aldora—a monarch butterfly. She was a sick caterpillar, and her wings did not form correctly. She did not get a Monarch Watch tag since she will not be migrating to Mexico. She lived her few days to the fullest. I put her on plants to feed but also fed her nectar I made. She enjoyed being in the sunshine! I enjoyed caring for her and loved her so!! Her name means “winged gift from God.”

“Collaborated”

My friend Heather found this snail when we were shooting at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. The snail was a good sport and collaborated with us when we placed him on a poppy pod then this bachelor button flower.

In Memory Of

This is my first time raising gulf fritillary caterpillars. I have 16 chrysalises that will enclose (become butterflies) and 15 more caterpillars. I asked my social media followers if I can release a butterfly in memory of one of their loved ones.

ZEU 853

I released this male monarch butterfly last year in memory of Todd Fielding Cooper who was tragically killed when he was only 16 years old. A small tag was placed on the butterfly from Monarch Watch. His specific tag letters and numbers were ZEU 853. Location: Athens, Georgia

Tiny Surprises

Ladybugs are beautiful creatures. It wasn’t a surprise to me to find the ladybug—my friend Heather found it. What surprised me was seeing a beautiful black shaped heart on his back. I noticed it while editing my photographs. It is just another of those neat God moments found in His nature! Location: The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Clever

Capturing this photo of a snail on a poppy pod was a lot of fun. My friend, Heather and I went to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, and she found many critters for us to photograph. This snail was a great model. We put him on the pod and waited for him to come out of his shell. Heather said, “Do you want me to use my purple sweater as a background?” What a brilliant idea! You can even see our fingerprints on the pod. Location: Athens, Georgia

Bottled Up!

The Lord made the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly such a spectacular process! The brilliantly colored yellow, green, and black monarch caterpillar meanders around devouring milkweed a million miles an hour. It then bottles itself up in a stunning chrysalis to later explode into a beautiful butterfly. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature —have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

“New Life”

Raising swallowtail and monarch caterpillars was a privilege. Right before my eyes, I witnessed their amazing transformation into a beautiful butterfly. When a person receives Christ as their Lord and Savior, the transformation is more miraculous! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 As we remember Good Friday and the sacrifice of His death on the cross, remember also He rose from the grave. “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:6 Happy Easter!

Todd

Todd Fielding Cooper was tragically killed on October 9,1998—he was only 16 years old. Miraculously, twenty years later, on October 27, 2018, we released a male monarch butterfly in his memory. What makes this event so miraculous? I did not know Todd or his mother Anne. Lisa, a friend of mine, knew Anne and brought her over to my house the day we released his butterfly. As we walked into my backyard, Anne pointed to the house behind mine and said, “My parents live there.” Lisa started crying. It was the last place Anne saw Todd alive. He was killed less than one mile from my house. I placed a small circular tag on Todd’s butterfly, which has three specific letters and numbers to track his migration to Mexico. Monarch Watch distributes these tags and the data collected aids in research. Todd’s tag numbers are ZEU 853. It was a pleasure to raise and release a monarch butterfly in Todd’s memory. Location: Athens, Georgia

Passion Lady

Gulf fritillary butterflies are also called passion butterflies. The passion flower is the host plant in which females lay their eggs. The female fritillary butterflies are generally slightly larger, have more brown markings and are usually darker in color. Location: Athens, Georgia

Goliath

Goliath was a very large monarch caterpillar. He was nicknamed Fat Boy by my husband and me. I thought it would be nicer to have a more majestic name, hence the name Goliath.

Nite! Nite!

This is Lucky Jr., a monarch caterpillar, eating away at this common milkweed. He is named Lucky Jr. because he is lucky to be alive. I had a monarch caterpillar named Lucky, but he got sick and did not make it. So, I named this one Lucky Jr. A head count is necessary when swapping out fresh milkweed for the little critters to make sure no one gets left behind. At this time, they were only two centimeters long. One caterpillar was missing and I had no idea where he was. I looked everywhere. I kept a container on my table to put all the old leaves in. There he was on a leaf! He has his own milkweed plant and butterfly cage so when he becomes a butterfly, I can give him his special name. Location: Athens, Georgia

Sweet Dreams

I enjoyed photographing the bees while they were asleep on the flowers. I had to be quick as the morning sun was waking them up:) Location: The State Botanical Garden of Georgia

Georgia

“Georgia” is my first male monarch butterfly that I have raised from an egg. It has been a rewarding, yet arduous process. He wasn’t doing very well and wasn’t thriving. He would lie on his side and not do anything. I turned my guest bathroom into Georgia’s spa. I warmed the room with a small heater, cut up fresh orange slices, and made some honey water for him to feed on. He got much stronger, and I released him two days later due to all the rain from hurricane Florence. He was tagged with a special tag from Monarch Watch. This tiny tag can be used to track their migration to Mexico. If found, the tag should be reported through the Monarch Watch website.

Little Fellow

“Little Fellow” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I was enjoying photographing a beautiful flower and then a grasshopper decided to make the photograph look even better.

Yellow Mustache

A bee has a "Yellow Mustache" from all the pollen on the flowers! Location: The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Just for Me

New Guinea Birdwing Butterfly The Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens is an amazing place. Over 1,000 tropical butterflies get to enjoy their short lives in a magical place, filled with abundant flowers, and fresh fruit to feed on. Time and time again this stunning butterfly landed on the ends of a few tree branches. At first, I thought it was its favorite tree until I realized over the next two days that he never landed there again. It’s just another one of the God things. I love it! Location: Pine Mountain, Georgia

Exquisite Jewels

The chrysalis of the monarch butterfly is a sight to be seen. It is beautiful with exquisite yellow and black looking jewels near the top. Finding the chrysalis is just another one of those God things!