The Caterpillar Bush
Several weeks ago I discovered a bush in our front yard that seemed to be growing caterpillars. It was a “volunteer” milkweed (sprouted up on it’s own) that was about 8 feet tall and had pretty little white flowers similar to a lily of the valley. We have several of these plants growing in another part of the garden and when the flowers are spent, seedpods form that look like big green tennis balls. It definitely makes an impression but none of those plants grew caterpillars!
When I discovered this big bush I was struck by how strong and healthy it appeared and moved in to inspect it more closely. That’s when I noticed a couple of large caterpillars feasting on some of the leaves…then a few smaller caterpillars on some stems…then several more of different sizes…and I realized that the bush was virtually covered with caterpillars of the monarch butterfly. I stopped counting at 35. Amazing! And the bush was so hearty and healthy that it easily provided life sustaining nourishment as it’s leaves were being eaten by all of those caterpillars.
So I began checking on the caterpillar bush regularly, looking for tiny new caterpillars just beginning their life-cycle, as well as large ones ready to take their journey to find their chrysallis spot and begin the last leg of it. What fun to have such an abundance of activity in one place! But with all of those caterpillars chomping away on the milkweed I wondered how long it would be able to sustain it’s own growth as well as theirs. Just one monarch caterpillar can eat a LOT of milkweed in a day.
After a few weeks the caterpillar bush began looking really ratty. Most of the leaves had been eaten down to the nub. Flowers had been devoured without a trace left behind. Even tennis-ball-seedpods weren’t safe from these ravenous eating machines. Every little stem that showed a sign of new leaf growth seemed to have a caterpillar on it eating every last bit of it away. The once lush green plant was nothing but stripped branches and a few half-eaten seedpods, with about a dozen starving caterpillars roaming to and fro searching desperately for food. It looked like it was time for me to step in and rescue some of these ravenous roamers and take them to our other milkweeds plants around the garden. This poor plant had almost nothing left to give!
So that’s what I did, carefully carrying each chubby green-, black- and white-striped caterpillar to a new feasting spot. When they found there was more milkweed on which to feed they began eating immediately. I’m sure they were very happy to be in their new home.
However, I couldn’t help but wonder about the caterpillar bush, now stripped of it’s former foliage. How long would it take it’s leaves to regrow in order give life-sustaining nourishment to a new group of caterpillars? I did know that as long as it’s roots were strong and able to draw nutrients from the rich soil where it was planted this hearty milkweed would shows signs of recovery quickly. It had been created to support the life of the monarch butterfly and adapted to such changes easily. It just needed to abide…remain…and become refreshed.
I need to remember that lesson myself. I’ve been created to do good works, which God prepared in advance for me to do. However, when I feel as if I’ve given to others to the point of exhaustion and have nothing left to give; that every bud or bit of life-sustaining love has been sucked away, I need to abide in my Lord…remain silently at His feet…find His refreshment for my soul. When I am “rooted and established in love, (I will) have power…to grasp..the love of Christ” and “out of His glorious riches He (will) strengthen (me) with power through his Spirit in (my) inner being.” Ephesians 4:17b-18, 16. And soon enough, like the caterpillar bush, I’ll be ready to give to others again!
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Lord Jesus, thank you for the power that you give to accomplish your work and for the rest you provide when I am weary. Help me to always abide in you so I don’t do Your work in my own strength.