A Visit from a Weary Traveler

Category: Garden Wildlife | Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:59 am

She floated into the garden, gracefully gliding, and restlessly searching, her body heavy with eggs. Her wings, faded and battered, had seen better days. She had traveled many miles, looking for the perfect place to lay her precious eggs.
She circled around me twice, her silken wings brushing lightly against my hair like a whisper soft kiss. I felt a thrill of joy because I had been planning for her arrival for months. I walked over to one of my Asclepias bushes and she followed behind, gracefully circling and surveying the flowers around us.
Then she saw it, the object of her search, the stately Asclepias bush with flowers like little chalices of sweet nectar. Although she was most certainly weary with hunger, she paused to lay several tiny eggs beneath the leaves before she finally took a moment to refresh herself.

She hungrily fed, her slender proboscis delicately dipping into each flower, and rested her tired wings. As soon as she regained a bit of her energy she continued to lay her eggs underneath the leaves. She would lay a few eggs and then circle the garden bed, admiring the coneflowers, then the marigolds, everything seeming to make her very pleased. I've never so much felt the happiness of a butterfly, but in this case I could say she was joyful, her very flight changing and becoming more excited. She would feed, lay eggs, and then come back and circle me, which I took as a "Thank you, for being here".

I wanted her to see my other Asclepias bushes so I walked over to them, and again she followed me and quickly found them. She spent at least an hour inspecting the garden, always returning to the Asclepias. She seemed to take such enjoyment out her visit to my garden, even pausing to take a sip from my hummingbird feeder.

It was a moment of magic, a connection with nature, and the driving force behind my choices in my plants. This poor tired butterfly who needed me as much as I needed her. I love gardening because of the bond it creates between nature and me.

I plant a lot of plants because their appearance pleases ME, but many of my plants are chosen because of the wildlife it might attract. I realize in about two weeks, these Asclepias will be quite a ragged sight, but it will be all worth it to have more beautiful monarch butterflies visiting my garden this summer.

Last edited: Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:20 am

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zuzu's petals wrote on Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:14 am:

A beautiful moment, and so beautifully expressed.
:-D
And, as you hint, just the beginning
of another story of life in a garden.

Thank you, I enjoyed this immensely.

hummingbird3172 wrote on Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:18 am:

Thanks Zuzu, it was one of those moments that give your heart a little jump. Kind of bittersweet because it looked like she was at the end of her life cycle and she was so determined to lay her eggs. It isn't that obvious in the picture, but her wings were so ragged and faded.

Chitweed wrote on Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:26 am:

Very well written. I felt like I was another bug in the garden watching the visit.

eileen wrote on Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:38 am:

Anna your writing is as beautiful as your butterfly visitor. I'm glad she chose your garden to lay her eggs in. Please keep us updated on when they hatch won't you?

"I plant a lot of plants because their appearance pleases ME, but many of my plants are chosen because of the wildlife it might attract." - EXACTLY what I do too!!!

cajunbelle wrote on Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:50 pm:

Wonderful , thanks for giving my morning a jump start. Reading your story makes me know that all the hard work in the garden is a very worthwhile effort.

bethie wrote on Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:59 pm:

She looked for the perfect place and found it.

hummingbird3172 wrote on Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:34 pm:

Thanks for the kind words! I'll update about the caterpillars as they grow, I saw a Queen butterfly laying eggs out there today so I guess I will have both...those Asclepias will be some sight! I have a little Gulf Fritillary that I'm raising inside, but when it changes I'll probably bring in a monarch to raise.