Butterfiles - at last!

Little sweetheart, for much of this season I’d been disappointed not to spot many butterflies in my walks through Riverside Park. There’s a wonderful garden at the top of The Serpentine near W91st Street where they would often alight. Monarchs, especially, seemed to like quite a big tree at its upper edge, but last fall the gardeners trimmed it back extensively. I don’t know if the two events are related but all through the spring and into July, even, I’d only seen Satin Moths, no butterflies. Until yesterday!

Maybe its something about the month of August. Perhaps that is really high season but suddenly they’re back.
It was so wonderful, that first sighting of a monarch. Then another and another joined the first and the three of them flew and flitted about alighting on flowers and branches - and one another even! - before taking flight yet again. Shortly thereafter, I also saw a Swallowtail - a male with black wings and yellow highlights (the female is the reverse color scheme - yellow with black highlights).

I wasn’t alone in my delight and relief, little sweetheart. A couple of other people had stopped to patiently, quietly stand still, watching and waiting to take a photograph or two.

Like birdsong, little sweetheart, butterflies seem to me a harbinger of your celestial presence. They bring me closer to you. And it fills me with gratitude. As do you, always. I am so very grateful for you, my little sweetheart.

With all my love forever.