Anyone who knows me, knows that I honour my plants as sentient beings. My kids frequently catch me talking to my plants, encouraging their growth and thanking them for their inspiration. My indoor plants feel like part of our family, I love them. My heart opens and my soul feels peaceful in their presence.

Our home is filled with more plants than furniture. Our front room is known as “the plant room.” It’s my favourite room in the house. We have a swing chair hanging from the ceiling known as the “inspiration station” … it’s where I sit to connect with myself, contemplate life and write. When ever I find a family member sitting in the plant room I know they’re contemplating something important… They may not consciously realise it but there’s some kind of magical, telepathic synergy that happens between humans & plants. As a Mum, whenever I see a family member in the plant room I feel supported by “the village.”

I’ve deliberately not put any window coverings on the floor to ceiling window in this room and have a garden growing right outside the window so it kinda’ feels like a giant terrarium. The indoor plants love the natural sunlight and so do I. One of the plants growing outside the window is a giant Monstera. The whole fam has been witnessing an impressive new leaf slowly unfurl for the past couple of weeks.

Overnight the new foliage has fully opened, like magic, quite vulnerable and courageous in it’s innocence. When I went outside to inspect the new foliage from a different angle I got a helluva lot more than I bargained for. I noticed caterpillars had eaten almost all the older foliage over night. We’re talking a full on fricken’ feast leaving just skeletal remains. My first reaction was to swear at the caterpillars “WTF have you done you little bastards?” and as I witnessed my reaction I realised I needed to pause and contemplate for a bit.

My mind initially went to “Why do some people suck the life out of others?” “Why aren’t people more personally responsible?” “Why do we do the work for others to take advantage of it?” … I witnessed all my old thought patterns pass like clouds and gave space for my feelings instead. Despite my much loved, giant monstera now looking like a spindly, one leaf bandit. it somehow didn’t feel right to judge the caterpillars without knowing more of their story.

I guess it’s my default to believe that there’s usually something greater driving “bad” behaviour. And on further contemplation, who says it’s even “bad” behaviour? (Only me because my plant no longer looks the same. ) My whole reality was shifting. I scooped the only caterpillar I could find into a glass jar in the hope that I could identify it (and get to know more of its story.) I placed the jar on the window seal while I sat in my inspiration station, surrounded by plant wisdom, contemplating and doing research.

A funny thing began to happen , as time and space passed, I felt more of a connection with the caterpillar and before I could say “Google natural deterrents for caterpillars ” both my son and I (without speaking a word) simultaneously decided to go and pick leaves from the garden and place them in the jar … where the very hungry caterpillar is now happily continuing its feast! … Soon to be set free to (apparently) grow into an important Hawk Moth.

Research actually states these dudes are “vital for the survival of many native plants and that without hawk moths, these plants will disappear, permanently changing diverse and unique habitats.” Apparently bees and butterflies steal the lime light a bit when it comes to pollination and these guys don’t get much love (because they appear so destructive as caterpillars…. ahhhh hello!) But when these guys are given space to grow into moths “they can move pollen further than bees or birds and help plant populations remain viable in the face of habitat degradation.” Apparently “without Hawk moths to visit native, endangered plants, we’d no longer see rare and beautiful flowers in the wild. Even worse, ecosystem diversity could decline.”

I’m not sure I would have arrived at any of this had I 1. Not loved my plants so much , and 2. Not sat in my inspiration station, contemplating the purpose of caterpillars surrounded by my plants. It may sound weird (you know me by now) but it’s as if my plants were encouraging me to find compassion for these creatures who have “seemingly” been feasting on their friends.

Wow! There’s some serious plant wisdom in all of this … on so many levels! Mother nature has humbled me yet again ... With a reminder that sometimes what looks like destruction can actually be life coming more into alignment!

For now I’m going to go and release my full bellied, new friend (from my judgements - and its jar) so it can keep spreading the wisdom … it obviously has a super important job to do… who am I to divert its course?