That’s it in the picture, being released into the wide world with the words “have a happy life”.
It’s one of more than one hundred Monarch butterflies that I’ve tended and released this season, breaking a resolution I made a couple of years ago.
At New Year 2018 I wrote on my blog (check it via the side-bar archive if you wish) –
For years I’ve spent far too many hours each spring to autumn growing swan plants…nursing caterpillars, and tending butterflies. Each year I wonder if I should let nature take its course – allowing predators to get their share instead of bringing caterpillars inside where they’re safe, leaving those that fall, and letting them expire when they strip the plants of food.
Resolution 3 – save the time for other pursuits. I’m 99% sure this one will be broken.
Yes, well I knew then that I wouldn’t keep to that one, and perhaps that’s something to do with the fact that I didn’t make any resolutions for 2020.
This year I’ve produced more Monarchs than any year before. With environmental factors threatening them, it’s a small contribution to their continued existence.
As they live for weeks or months, I rarely go into my garden on warmer days without seeing one or more fluttering around. That’s my reward for the time I spend on them.
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