Metamorphosis means change. Great changes do happen when I walk out to my yard. I see, I hear, I sense differently than when I am at work. My perspective is more relaxed, and I absorb the awesome wonders of creation. Whether I garden, feed the birds, play catch with my doodle (dog), observe a butterfly on a flower, or just relax, my "radar" is alert for change.

To me, the Monarch butterfly is the most dramatic illustration of change and the miracles that nature holds. Every time I think about this metamorphosis, I get goose bumps. The life cycle begins when the female Monarch lays her eggs, no bigger than the head of a pin, on a milkweed plant. She can lay up to 500 eggs in 3 to 4 weeks. The eggs hatch into thread-sized caterpillars in 4 to 5 days. This natal caterpillar eats its own egg for protein and then turns to the poisonous milkweed leaves.

In a matter of several weeks, the caterpillar sheds its skin four times to accommodate its growing body. Eventually it gets the irresistible urge to hang helplessly upside down for almost 12 hours while its body undergoes yet another change. The caterpillar's skin breaks and the head, skin, and legs fall off, leaving only a capsule-shaped chrysalis.

The chrysalis then hangs for 1 to 2 weeks during which a most amazing transformation occurs. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar completely disassembles its cells and reassembles them in a completely new form: a butterfly. The caterpillar releases chemicals to dissolve itself into a jelly-like substance. The body, head, wings and internal organs form in only 8 days.

To date, entomologists still have no conclusive explanation about how the caterpillar changes its body into mush, then converts the mush into a butterfly. The mystery is simply amazing. The new Monarch emerges from its clear chrysalis, soon the soft wings harden, and within a matter of hours the butterfly is off to collect nectar for its first meal. What a miracle! Walk out into your yard and watch for miracles.