Flowers with a Special Surprise - 1st of 2

Wallpaper Description:

I took this photo of golden flowers in June of 2011, during a walk with my collie, Annie. Almost every time I walked her I’d bring my camera along. If I stopped to take pictures, Annie would lie down on the grass and patiently wait for me to finish. She knew that I'd probably be awhile!

I took 3 photos of these particular flowers. A couple of days ago, (2 years after I took them), I decided that they might make pretty wallpapers. I cropped one of them and looked at it for the 1st time on my big computer screen. Then I took a second look. There, on the right side of the photo was a black, yellow, and white striped Monarch caterpillar!

I checked the other two photos. The caterpillar was in all of them! (I’m only uploading 2 of the 3, because one's a bit blurry.)

In this 1st wallpaper, You can see the striped caterpillar on the lower right hand side. Usually if a Monarch caterpillar is on a plant, it will be a milkweed plant, since that's what it feeds on. At first I didn't think that this plant was a milkweed plant, but I've just learned that this plant IS in the milkweed family, and is often called butterfly weed. He's hanging from this plant, because he is getting ready to pupate.(make a cocoon.) A Monarch cocoon is called a chrysalis.

There's also a clear winged insect with a metallic gold body in this wallpaper--some kind of fly, I think. It's easy to spot at the bottom middle part of the wallpaper. You may want to enlarge the wallpaper to see the both the caterpillar and the fly more easily.

I can't help feeling a bit choked up about this wallpaper and it's caterpillar surprise. The caterpillar was not the only thing that I didn’t know about when I took the photo. 10 days after I took these photos, my beloved collie Annie passed away in her sleep.

Annie is the collie that I use as my Desktop Nexus Avatar. She is the dog that inspired me to pick CollieSmile as my designer name..

My collie’s life would end in 10 days. The caterpillar would have completed it’s pupation and became a chrysalis shortly after I took the photos. It takes 10 days for a chrysalis to form a butterfly.

The day that Annie died, a new Monarch butterfly flew free.

A new Monarch butterfly, from God, just for me, to find in my photograph two years later.

CollieSmile

PS. I don’t want anybody to miss out on seeing the caterpillar. Here’s a link to a wallpaper uploaded by Monarch/Cherie. It shows Monarch eggs, a Monarch caterpillar, a chrysalis, and a male Monarch butterfly. If you are having trouble finding the caterpillar in this wallpaper, this lovely wallpaper will help.

http://animals.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/377816/

Here is a link to the other photo that I uploaded. Only part of the caterpillar is showing in this one, but you will be able to see it’s head and it’s antennae, very clearly! ! (The pretty golden clear winged fly is also in this photo..)

http://nature.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/1478657/

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MY CURRENT COLLIE & MY HAPPY ENDING/BEGINNING

Hi everybody,

Some people who have contacted me have asked me if I am going to get another collie. I already have, so I thought I'd better fill you in.

One month after Annie passed away, my family and I went to a "Collie Picnic" in my area. We have gone to it every year for at least 15 years. I always call it my 2nd Christmas.

We went to the picnic in early August of 2011, for the first time ever without a collie in the car. But we went home with one!!!

A breeder at the collie picnic who heard about our loss, offered us a smooth (short coated) collie puppy free of charge. The only condition was that we get her spayed. (which we did.)

Katie has a totally different personality than Annie did. She is a wonderful dog in her own way, however, and she put a smile back on my face. She is 2 years old now and is lying at my feet as I type these words. Here is the link to a wallpaper that I made of her.

http://animals.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/1060206/

(I guess that while I am at it, I might as well give you the link to the wallpaper that I made of Annie too. )

http://animals.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/1236664/