I have always been struck by the vibrant orange of the Monarch butterfly. Its an orange that almost appears to be glowing and that contrasted with the jet black lines and white speckles on the wings makes this creature truly breathtaking!

I remember being transfixed the first time I saw one of these in the wild. Then I learned about how incredible these little creatures are! Many travel thousands of miles as they migrate to overwinter farther south. Monarchs exclusively lay their eggs on milkweed and it is the only food that will sustain monarch larvae. Milkweed is an often overlooked plant as many don't realized the important role it plays. Also milkweed is a gorgeous flowering plant! Go plant some milkweed and be a part of sustaining this amazing creature and you'll get some beautiful blooms to boot! Also their caterpillars are striking stripy little wonders!

The catalyst for creating this particular sculpture were a few friends who are planting copious amounts of milkweed to create a little monarch sanctuary.

Once the chrysalises have formed these friends collect them and have them hatch indoors to witness the metamorphosis first hand. Once they are ready to fly they release them to begin their journey south! It was such a treat to witness this part of the monarchs life cycle and I left feeling inspired so I decided to create a sculpture for their butterfly garden!

This stainless steel monarch butterfly is a wall hanging relief sculpture that is safe to be kept outdoors!