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The Accidental Farmer 

To clarify, I am the accidental farmer. To clarify more, I am the accidental farmer of monarch butterflies.

If you have read the book, if you have read anything of this blog or if you know me in person you know how much butterflies mean to me. A breakaway monarch graces the cover of my first book, I have butterflies tattooed on my body and Chad and I have worked very hard to plant 2 (for now) huge butterfly gardens on our Mason House property. The gardens of course include milkweed in our attempt to help save the monarchs.

The life cycle journey of the monarch in particular is miraculous and the perfect metaphor for rising ever upward.

On July 4th we had the honor of witnessing a monarch lay her eggs in our butterfly garden. It was one of those moments of awe and clarity. In my usual childlike wonder I kept tabs on the eggs and researched galore on what to expect. Well, I now currently have over 45 monarch caterpillars in an aquarium on my counter. In the last week we have witnessed them grow exponentially in size. Next week we will watch them climb to the top to form their chrysalis and then about 10 days later they will emerge beautiful monarchs.

Thus far we are in awe and complete amazement at these creatures. How beautiful they are, how fast they grow, what they have to go through to molt and grow bigger and how much they eat, which also means how much they poop!

To watch a caterpillar literally walk out of it’s old skin to grow bigger takes the butterfly metaphor even further than what is typically understood. A future writing on that for sure, I promise. For now I wanted to share what has been keeping me so busy this week. I’ll be sure to post again once they are enclosed in their jade chrysalides.

Here are several pics, there are many more if you would like to follow my personal Facebook page you can, I make these pictures and videos public, some are also on Instagram.

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I brought in about 50 larvae to feed and raise in captivity. #savethemonarchs
I brought in about 50 larvae to feed and raise in captivity. #savethemonarchs
Eating and growing fast in their new home.
Eating and growing fast in their new home.
Just molted (droopy antenna)
Just molted (droopy antenna)
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Some of them are already 2 inches long and still at least 4 days left to grow!
Some of them are already 2 inches long and still at least 4 days left to grow!
Freshly molted - they literally walk out of their old skin to grow bigger.
Freshly molted – they literally walk out of their old skin to grow bigger.

Author:

A Licensed Professional Counselor, Justine Froelker has over 25 years of experience in mental health, personal growth, and professional development. For eleven years, she was certified in Dr. Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability, courage, and empathy. Justine now shares her own curriculum, Courage is Built Here™. This transformative program empowers individuals to live and lead with self-awareness, authenticity, and resilience, building a foundation for courage-centered leadership. In addition to writing her blog since 2013, Justine is an accomplished author of twelve books—including five Amazon bestsellers—Justine has written across genres, from children’s books to in-depth explorations of infertility, faith, grief, and leadership. She has delivered two TEDx Talks, The Permission of the And and The Donut Effect, which highlight her unique perspective on navigating life’s complexities with grace. Justine is a sought-after speaker who travels nationally and presents virtually to global audiences, delivering keynotes, workshops, retreats, and trainings on topics such as leadership, resilience, mental health, coping with burnout, courageous and curious conversations, and fostering cultures of inclusion and belonging. Justine lives in St. Louis with her husband Chad and their three dogs. You’ll often find her volunteering at Wild Bird Rehabilitation—supporting the medical team and feeding hundreds of tiny, hungry babies during baby bird season. And during butterfly season, her home comes alive with the flutter of wings as she raises hundreds of monarch and swallowtail butterflies.

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