Another old picture from Austin, TX.

One of the plants that I had in abundance was Butterfly Weed. (Apparently it's also called "Bloodflower" which sounds pretty hardcore.) These plants are magnets for all sorts of pollinators, and are the favorite nomnom for Monarch Butterfly caterpillars.

Each season, regular as clockwork, there would be a swarm of Monarchs visiting the bloodflowers, followed later by a small army of munching caterpillars. Later still you'd find jade-green cocoons suspended beneath fence stringers, lawn furniture, etc etc.

One of them hung from a fire engine red tomato cage, in plain sight of any hungry bird...and despite the long odds I found this Monarch one morning, having just emerged!

I stayed near the little critter till its wings had dried and extended. The little thing had made it this far, I figured I'd give it a little protection until it could be on its way.