the story continues

[asakiyume]

When Crinklewing (as my husband dubbed him) was blown away, I thought that was the end of the story, and so I made the entry with that endpoint.

But stories keep flowing! So much of storytelling is about deciding where to begin and end your tale ...

Later that day, I found Crinklewing again in my yard. All through the day, I took breaks from work to continue what I described in the last post, taking him to different flowers, tempting him with sugar-water. As evening came round, he climbed up on my sweatshirt, right up to my neck! And then he fluttered off, back into the milkweed patch by my door.

Or so I thought: later I found him on my kitchen floor.

All right, friend, spend the night here in my house, where it's warm, I thought. I put him on a brightly colored piece of cloth on my ironing board and wet it with sugar-water.

proboscis out!


Today is another sunny day. I don't want Crinklewing to end his days cooped up in a dim indoors, so I decided to take him to a pollinator garden by an elementary school. It's a beautiful place, and he looked at home stretched out on a ... not sure what it is. [ETA: Likely Tithonia, also known as Mexican sunflower--ID courtesy of pameladean--thank you!] A bright flower.



But I heard a group of kids and a teacher coming along, and I realized in this spot, he would be vulnerable to lots of people noticing him and possibly poking at him. So I took him down the hill to a wild spot with lots of goldenrod (which has delicious nectar beloved of bees and butterflies) and set him there. Lots of food, and warm sun.



As I came up the hill, one of the little kids greeted me. "Hi! How are you? What are you doing?" And I realized the group was a special ed class (not from the greeting, from other things). There was one child in a wheelchair with a screen for touching for communication.

I told the kid about Crinklewing.

"Can we go see?" the kid asked.

"Let's just look from here," the teacher said. "It's better for the butterfly."

That seemed to satisfy the kid. He and the others got busy exclaiming over the flowers, squatting down to look at things, asking questions--clearly learning and enjoying themselves.

All crinklewings of one sort or another. It feels too on the nose, but it's really what happened.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

This is magical

[asakiyume]

The world is truly drenched in magic.

[cmcmck]

I taught a whole bunch of crinklewings as you know!

[asakiyume]

Yes 💛

You helped them have a life of sunlight and goldenrod.

[http://lotuslandfineart.com/velvetrope/]

This is adorable. I'm glad Crinklewing is happy.

[asakiyume]

💛💛
I do hope he's happy! It's hard to guess, with a butterfly, but I figure it has to be good to be in the sun, with plenty of food all around.

[heleninwales]

You couldn't have done any better for Crinklewing. I'm glad the story didn't end where it did yesterday with you not knowing the butterfly's fate.

[asakiyume]

Me too! It was really wonderful to rediscover him and have the extra time--and to be able to see him off at a good place.

[okrablossom]

This is absolutely wonderful, thank you! And what a wonderful name from your husband!

I am, however, waiting on installment one of Crinklewing: the Chalk Cartoon :D

[asakiyume]

That is an EXCELLENT idea.

I hope to oblige before the weather turns chilly.

[okrablossom]

!!!!!!!!

[ellenmillion]

This is the happiest of endings.

[asakiyume]

💛 I think it's a pretty good ending too.

[mallorys_camera]

You're the only person in the world who could persuade a Monarch butterfly (however crinkled of wing) to be her companion animal. ❤️

[asakiyume]

I wish, but I have my sister in my brain, telling me it's my duty to inform you that when we were kids, she got a monarch butterfly to sit on her shoulder and be her friend for an afternoon--she named it Percher. But I'm preening all the same because of your sweet words.

[pameladean]

The orange flower is probably Tithonia, generally known as Mexican sunflower. It's a major butterfly plant, but so is goldenrod. And I think the butterfly would be better able to get around on the goldenrod to new sources of nectar.

Of course I can't help wondering if this is really the end of the story either, but it's a very good one.

P.

[asakiyume]

If Crinklewing and I intersect again, I'll let you know ^_^

Thank you for telling me the name! I'll update the entry.

[pameladean]

Thank you for being so patient with my uncontrollable urge to identify things for people!

As for the intersection, he just seems to have a tropism for you. But who knows.

P.

[asakiyume]

Oh, I *totally* understand that urge. Totally totally. I am That Person in other exchanges.

[sovay]

As evening came round, he climbed up on my sweatshirt, right up to my neck! And then he fluttered off, back into the milkweed patch by my door.

I love that your butterfly is refusing narrative closure.

[asakiyume]

Who knows when and where he'll turn up next!

[sartorias]

That is really nifty.

[asakiyume]

It was. I'm glad it was a sunny day. I'm glad I ran into those kids.

[rachelmanija]

AWWWWWW.

[asakiyume]

It was so emotional! And then I had to come home and, y'know, just do some editing.

[squirrelitude]

As you post this, I'm thinking of the black swallowtail chrysalis on our dining room table -- one we raised from an egg that I spotted on the parsley. (I should post about that.) It will likely overwinter before emerging, and I really hope I can give it a good enough environment...

[asakiyume]

*fingers crossed for your blacks swallowtail chrysalis*

--and yes, do post about it!

[adore]

i hope you post about it, i'd love to read about it!

[gwynnega]

Yay Crinklewing!

[asakiyume]

^_^

[adore]

this is a happy continuation ♡ i'm so glad!

[asakiyume]

It is--thank you ^_^ And me too 💛

[wayfaringwordhack]

What a beautiful chapter in this story!

[asakiyume]

I wasn't expecting a part two! But I was very glad to spend more time with Crinklewing.

[smokingboot]

What a friend you have been. I am crying at the beauty of you and Crinklewing, children of the Invincible Summer.

[asakiyume]

💛💛 Thank you--thank you for letting me share this, because I had tears streaming down my face as I was walking back to my car after that, and I wanted to tell people about it, but at the same time it felt almost ... is it all right to share a thing if it's likely to make people cry? In the end I decided yes, but for a while I was determined NOT to do that to my readers here.

And invincible summer--it's truly where I want to be, forever and ever. Even though that's not possible.

Possible is such a strange word.

[smokingboot]

It changes all the time. I believe in the Invincible Summer, and my heart tells me you will find it X

Re: Possible is such a strange word.

[asakiyume]

💛💛💛