I love gardening!  I find it to be relaxing and the blooms are very rewarding.  One of my favorites is milkweed.  It has such a dull name, yet it's very pretty with lovely clumps of aromatic flowers.  It's also the favorite of Monarch butterflies.  The caterpillars munch on the toxic leaves and absorb the toxins that will give them their protection from predators.  Each year I keep track of the caterpillars and find myself rewarded with a flock of beautiful flying jewels during the summer.  This year, some of the milkweed is already taller than me (right now some are measuring close to 6 feet high)!  The caterpillars have been fascinating and it's amazing to watch the butterflies open their wings for the first time!  They offer inspiration to my art and they feed my soul.