October 4 was a stay-at-home day in order to nurse our Covid and Influenza vaccine-related fatigue, malaise, and soreness. Cloudy and sunlit skies took turns and were punctuated by brief periods of rain. During one of the sunny intervals, a Monarch Butterfly was seen flitting from cosmos to cosmos in our driveway, which has turned … Continue reading Insects Welcome!
When one’s dream of snow arriving on crystal wings remains unfulfilled (or those splendid hexagon crystals dissipate almost as soon as they appear), one might dream of other beautiful wings that drift through the air like apparitions from a better world. The realization that both crystal-winged and scaled-winged entities exist in this world renews a … Continue reading Dreaming of Butterflies
Butterflies fly. As does time. Of these truths I was reminded when I realized that three years have lapsed since I first experienced a winged local late summer tradition. Contrary to countless canceled conventions worldwide, the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs’ annual gathering of famous lepidoptera was able to take place in 2020. Some of … Continue reading Flight 2020
One scientist, who would have taken issue with last week’s “ignorance is bliss” statement is Maria Sybilla Merian (1647-1717). This powerhouse of a woman, of whom I knew nothing until the recent fortuitous find of her 2018 biography The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman, not only sought knowledge at every turn, it was … Continue reading Maria Merian
Goodbye to summer heat. You scorch the earth And sap humans and animals alike. Servus Sommer Du versengst die Erde Und laugst Menschen und Tiere gleichermaßen aus. So long to colorful blossoms. You delight the senses And provide a feast to connoisseurs of nectar. Auf Wiedersehen Ihr farbigen Blüten Ihr erfreut die Sinne Und bereitet … Continue reading Goodbye Summer
tanja britton 