Butterflies

In anticipation of those lovely winged creatures returning to the backyard, I decided to celebrate them with a blog post. This card was made by dry-embossing a brass stencil on vellum, then layering it over card stock on which the design was stenciled using Brilliance inks.

In 2008, we decided to cultivate a butterfly garden. A work in progress, it attracted several varieties of butterflies; and I got a newfound appreciation for those who are able to photograph them well. There’s a saying, “time waits for no man.” Well, neither do butterflies! They flit and flutter almost constantly in their search for nectar. Some species tend to move away from curious camera-wielding onlookers, some go on about their business, and others will flutter around the head of said curious onlooker!

Tiger swallowtail
Skipper
Buckeye

 

Last year, we planted this:

Butterfly weed

 

 

 

 

And got several of these:

Monarch caterpillars

 

 

 

 

 

Which turned into this:

Chrysalis

 

 

 

 

Then into this:

Monarch

 

 

 

 

Words can not explain the elation I felt in finding this one initially perched on the edge of the potting bench. It was camera shy, and escaped to the side of the electric meter, though its wings were still wet. This was the best gift, ever, to be able to witness the transformation.

What the caterpillar calls the end, the master calls the butterfly.
-Richard Bach