A miracle is unfolding in my front yard.

Last summer I purchased a packet of milkweed seeds at Natural Bridges State Park. I planted them in pots, and the seeds sprouted into little seedlings which I later planted in the front yard.

Nothing much happened that first year.

This year the plants grew like the proverbial beanstalk. Stout stems shot skyward until the plants were more than four feet tall. They sprouted clusters of white and purple flowers. They were quite attractive.

One day in June I looked out my kitchen window and literally jumped with joy. There was a monarch fluttering around the milkweed. Was it true? If you plant milkweed will they come? Was that all I had to do? I was ecstatic.

Later, after the monarch had flown away, I went outside and examined the plants. There was something new, but I had to run to my computer to seek confirmation. Yes, they were eggs. There on the undersides of many leaves were pinhead-sized white dots- monarch eggs!

Tiny caterpillers were chomping at the leaves. Photo: Suzie Bulger Silverman.

Sure enough, a few days later instead of just eggs, there were tiny caterpillars chomping at the leaves. I counted at least 12. They kept munching and growing, but as the days passed, there were fewer and fewer.

When we left town for a few days over the Fourth of July, there were only two left. One fairly large and one much smaller. When we returned, there were none.

"Well, you did plant the milkweed near the birdfeeder," my daughter observed.

It was true, but that's where the sunny spot is in my tree-filled yard. Besides, monarch caterpillars are supposed to be toxic to most vertebrates. Maybe what ate them was not a vertebrate. Or perhaps a young bird who learned a valuable lesson.

I too have learned some valuable lessons when it comes to habitat creation. It's a little more complicated than I first thought. It's also a numbers game. But I am persistent. I have purchased another packet of milkweed seeds. I will increase the size and variety of my milkweed patch.

Monarch habitat has decreased markedly. You too can give these exquisite insects a helping hand. Plant some milkweeds.

—Debbie Bulger

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