Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing

Establishing a goal and linking up to 

 ALYOF last month

worked very well for me,

so I believe I will give it another go!
(If and when the internet allows me to.)

I finally have a herd of zebras.

16, to be exact.

All sewn into rows and ready for the border.

My goal will be 

to construct the border units 

and have this quilt finished and bound

by month's end.

I don't think Lorna from Sew Fresh Quilts believes

I'll ever finish this quilt, her amazing design.

The hold up for me was the eyes and nostrils.

I was a little intimidated.

I had to wait until I woke up one morning

with this thought, 

"Today's the day I'm going to do eyes and nostrils!"

It was a while before that happened.

Breezed through the eyes..they probably could have been better.

The nostrils?  Well, I ended up making a template

so that each one was the same.

Worked out pretty good.

Although it has taken me forever to make this quilt,

it has been an enjoyable process.

*

I love wild things, large and small.  Make believe and real.

While I was out picking blueberries late yesterday afternoon,

I stood to stretch my back (our wild blueberries are close to the ground, ugh!)

And what did I see?

A beautiful Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)!

My heart was singing as I ran down from the meadow for my camera.

It has been a few years since I have observed one on my property.

Hope she finds the Swamp Milkweed I planted!

Here are some interesting facts about Monarch Butterflies:

~Caterpillars eat milkweed, which makes them poisonous to birds.

~Thousands of individuals roost in the exact same trees every year

along their migration routes.

~No other known insect undergoes an annual, two-way, long distance,

large-scale migration.

~It is still a mystery how Monarchs correctly navigate to their

overwintering grounds, since no migrants 

have made the journey before.

Monarch Butterflies like nectar-rich plants such as Joe-Pye-Weed,

Goldenrods, Asters, Boneset, Coneflower, Butterfly Bush,

as well as the invasive and aggressive Angelica, as pictured above.

By planting milkweed as a host plant on my property,

my goal is to help provide a safe, chemical free habitat.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~karen