One sweet, crisp morning the breeze was blowing softly on the field where hundreds of Milkweed plants grew. The female Monarchs had been grouping there to lay their eggs and be on their way to more flowers. This is where Flutter's story begins.....................
Three weeks after being laid, she emerged from her egg to find a new and beautiful world before her.
"Wow, so many flowers!" Flutter exclaimed excitedly. She suddenly felt quiet hungry and joined her many brothers and sisters in the feast of Milkweed. Fattening up seemed for some strange reason to be very important. So, taking her first bite, she savored the sweetness of the Milkweed.
Munching away, she grew a little every day, turning white, with black and yellow stripes, instead of her usual green.
"Hey we're going to head out to find a new plant, do you wanna come?" one of Flutter's many brothers asked.
"Sure." she replied excitedly.
Together she and six of her other siblings crawled on through the tall grass. Little ants were busy at work and didn't even notice the caterpillars walk by.
"Isn't it strange how all those ants live under ground?" Flutter asked her sister who was crawling beside her.
"Yeah, I'm glad we don't, that would be boring." she answered.
"Traveling to a new plant?" a bright red Lady Beetle asked as she walked down the stem of a tall weed to meet them.
"Yeah, have you seen any good Milkweed around here?" Flutter's oldest brother asked.
"Yes, If you just keep heading strait, you'll find it. It's a huge plant, probably the biggest one in the meadow." the Lady Beetle replied.
"Okay, thanks." Flutter said as she passed the nice Lady Beetle.
While crawling on, they passed a huge grasshopper that was black with yellow stripes running down his back and sides and a beautiful black butterfly with white stripes running down its wings.
"Look at that pretty butterfly." Flutter exclaimed to her sister, "Isn't she beautiful?"
"Yeah, it looks like a Tiger Swallowtail. Remember, they used to visit our old Milkweed plant to sip the nectar." Her sister answered as she crawled on.
It encourages me when someone else likes it, not just myself.
When the sun finally started to set, they reached the Milkweed. The long walk had made all the caterpillars hungry, especially Flutter.
They all started crawling up the stalk to reach the leaves above.
"I'm soo hungry right now" Flutter's sister remarked as she and Flutter reached a leaf and started munching away at it.
"I'm so glad to be able to eat again." Flutter's brother said as he ate away hungrily at the Milkweed leaf.
"I'm just glad we safely made it." Flutter replied as she to started to eat.
When the sun rose the next day, all the caterpillars were nice and plump with full bellies.
"I don't think I'll eat anymore for a while" one of Flutter's other siblings stated.
"I'm so full, I couldn't eat anymore, even if I wanted to." said another.
"I'm glad I didn't over eat, you guys sound miserable." Flutter answered.
"Believe me, we are." Flutter's sister said.
As Flutter watched the birds flying around in the sky and the clouds float by lazily, she for some weird reason wished she too, could fly. Thinking that that was a strange thought, she pushed it aside and looked for something else to watch.
Looking down, she saw a beetle. He seemed to be looking for something. As she watched, the beetle's antennae started to twitch and he scurried off into the grass, disappearing within its tall green stalks.
When she turned around to see what the others were doing, they were all gone!
"Hey, where are you guys!" she called desperately, but no one answered.
'Where have they gone?' she wondered to herself.
After a few minutes, Flutter gathered up all her courage and crawled down the Milkweed stem to go find a new, safer place to feed. As she crawled over the rough dirt, she heard the strangest noise.
"Craw craw!" screeched a bird as it dived down towards Flutter.
Realizing that this creature was after her, she did the only thing she could; she rolled up into a ball. The bird landed and looked at Flutter with confusion, as if thinking, 'Where did it go?'. Turning around, the bird flapped it's wings violently and took off.
Relived at the sight on the creature leaving, Flutter got back onto her feet and walked quickly into some taller grass, hoping it would hide her a little better.
The taller grass made it darker and all sorts of strange noises could be heard in the dead silence.
"Craw craw!" a bird from above called.
The grass began to swish and a beetle appeared, roiling with it a big circular type deal. After watching curiously as it passed, Flutter continued on, unsure of where she was, or where she was going.
"Why, hello little caterpillar!" called a friendly looking grasshopper. He appeared to be green with leaf shaped wings. "Are you lost?" he asked politely, cocking his head to the side.
"Yes." Flutter replied, sounding a bit sad. "My brothers and sisters have disappeared and now I'm all alone." she said, wishing they were here now.
"Well, I could travel with you, my name's Hank the grasshopper, but you can just call me Hank. I know this meadow like the back of my wing." Hank offered.
"That's awfully nice of you to offer." Flutter replied, "but I wouldn't want to put you in harms way. I've already been frightened by a big creature that can fly and I wouldn't want it to get you." Flutter answered.
"Ah, the birds? Yes I've seen em'. They have quiet an appetite and love us grasshoppers. But let me tell you something, if you live in fear all your life, then life just ain't worth livin'." Hank said, stretching his hind legs as he did.
