Another flutter of Monarchs emerged from their chrysalides today and dried their wings in the sunshine. They spent their 2 week metamorphosis hidden in the azaleas, spirea, lambs ears, and up under the deck. The milkweed is in full recovery from feeding the caterpillars and is sprouting new leaves, even as our transformed friends catch the thermals upward and flutter away on the wind. I pray that these Monarchs linger here a little while longer and somehow avoid the surging storms lining up all along their way to Mexico.

Soon the frosts will return, it will be time for the flora and fauna of Maine to go into cozy hibernation for the winter. Those who stay for the winter will burrow under a few feet of snow for a long winter’s nap and spring into life again as the growing season returns. It’s been said that one can’t truly enjoy a summer in Maine without first diving into the depths of her winter, yet our summer visitors do add color to our lives. And so it goes with life, we all will eagerly await the safe return of the Monarchs, our far-flung kaleidoscope of pilgrims.