Last week when Brian was cutting the grass, he said a Monarch butterfly came out of nowhere and he wasn’t sure if he swatted at it or it was just hurt. It was laying in the grass and not really moving a lot. It let me pick it up and it’s one wing looked a little ‘out of joint’. I put it up on a zinnia in a pot and would check it the next day.

The next day it was on the ground, so I scooped him up and put him on the white butterfly bush.  Almost immediately, it started to drink through its tube-like tongue, the proboscis, as it went dipping it into each little flower middle.

It still wasn’t moving it’s wings as much as it could, but it looked happier.

The same thing would happen day in and day out for a few days. I moved it around back to the purple butterfly bush too.

You can see the damage on the wing.

Then it started getting braver and wouldn’t let me pick it up. I watched it fly over the roof one day and then land on the branch of the chestnut tree near very prickly burrs. It could surely impale itself on one of them. It then took off again, flying a little zig-zaggingly around the yard.

I haven’t seen it for a few days, but it was neat to be the guardian to such a fragile creature.

All life is fragile.

After looking at photos, I’m pretty sure this is a ‘she’ as she has lots of spots around the border on her wings. 

My Moon flower vine and Passion flowers are gracing me with their blooms. I plant the moon flowers by seed and bought the Passion flower plant back in May. What unique treats.  The moon flowers smell like talcum powder.

On a personal note, I had been working once a week at a church preschool and they asked me to come in twice a week now and 3 times a week once a month! I’m really flattered by this.

A few days ago, I had injection therapy on my back in three spots. I took one Valium and did fine. The worst one was the shot near my tailbone as the doctor really jammed it in there (fanny area). I can see a difference already! I know I can handle something that some people get put under anesthesia to get. It was only 10-15 minutes. I sure did not like laying on my tummy the most. Sure hope it lasts a while.