When milkweed is dead, it isn’t very attractive. It can actually look very ugly. But then, it opens in the spring and the seeds start to come out. They remind me of large dandelion seeds but are even more feathery. I think they are fascinating.
We have a field of milkweed up behind out house and this has been an interesting area for us to watch the monarch caterpillars and butterflies as they go through their cycles. We have collected caterpillarsat times and have watched them change. I’ve taken some pictures of the chrysalis and the butterfly emerging. I’ll try to put these pictures up sometime too.
When I took the pictures, I thought that the best way to show the feathery look to the milkweed seeds would be to have them backlit and have the sun shining through. I kept the aperture wide (f5.6) on the telephoto lens in order to have the background blurred. This makes the milkweed and seeds stand out better.
As always, God’s creation points to Him. I realize these aren’t masterpieces, and will probably never grace my walls in a frame, but they have a purpose and a beautiful side to them. Often we might think that we’re not beautiful, and there doesn’t seem to be a purpose for us to be here, but this is not true. We are beautiful to God. He made each of us to be beautiful in our own way, and He has a purpose for each of us. If you don’t know what your purpose is, go to God and He will reveal it to you.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Psalm 32:8