First thing, I find in the corner of the porch, the deconstructed monarch wings on the floor in a line next to each other. Fascinating. Charlie and I had a long and lovely walk. The ferns going rust. The sunflowers tall and bright in the garden. Everything bright but un-lasting. My energy was off though, today. Needed a nap in the late afternoon, and didn’t have a lot of energy; but we had plans to play pickleball in the early eve with friends and dinner. I kind of felt I was dragging myself there. And then, it was so fun! All my energy bubbled back and it was so good to have fun and play and relax and catch up with each other. So, I was so pleased I went even though I didn’t feel like it. Frank and I played as a team and he complimented me after which was nice. Because for some reason we can enjoy playing pickleball as a team, and we have stress trying to play doubles tennis. The mystery of the monarch: how it came apart like that, wings grounded. Later in the afternoon, I saw that my daughter had found them too. I had left them just where I’d found them. But i saw that she had picked them up and put them on the table. I touched them, soft as felt.

Butterfly Wings: What Can You Learn by Looking Closely?

By Elizabeth Howard