These first days of October are ones of coming to terms.

That summer is over, and I must retire my sandals.

That that the days of dipping my toes in the surf have passed.

That my porch days are becoming a rarity.

That the hummingbird who visited my feeder ten days ago and left without any farewell would be the last.

That my final Monarch chrysalis is not going to hatch.

Hatching Monarch’s was the summer highlight. So as autumn takes hold, here’s a look back at the joy that grew in my garden.

A Monarch laying eggs – July 17.

Hungry, hungry caterpillars – July 24th. My milkweed patch was large enough this year to feed them without harvesting milkweed elsewhere.

A newly hatched Monarch butterfly, a caterpillar in “j” shape getting ready to pupate, and a chrysalis – August 15.

My first hatchling arrived on August 15th.

Of the 25 caterpillars I nurtured and transformed into chrysalises, 24 butterflies emerged. The females outnumbered the males two-to-one.

They’ve brought such joy.

The last hatched butterfly on my phlox.

Seed pods on a milkweed plant.

I harvested the seed pods and collected the seeds.

Such beautiful tiny things essential to the magic of Monarch season.