Monarch Butterfly-in-the-making
There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly. –R. Buckminster Fuller
Monarch butterfly-to-be, in my backyard
caterpillar
Hope as antidote for suffering
Very few Monarch eggs survive to adulthood–mortality rates hover in the range of 90% or even higher! And still, the female Monarch lays new eggs every day–an average of 500 in her lifetime.
I’ve learned to respect Mother Nature’s ways, even when I don’t fully understand them. Even so, I do what I can to help offset those seemingly insurmountable odds. It’s how I’m wired, I guess. I’ve replaced our thirsty grass with drought-tolerant milkweed and nectar plants. I shield their nursery from weather extremes, and I guard against aphids and pesticide overspray, carried into my garden on ocean breezes.
Here, the story of Hope itself: struggles, persistence, endurance.
Helen Keller once said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” We see this in our daily lives: hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, diseases, natural and man-made disasters. A microcosm of this truth is borne out everyday, in my little Monarch Waystation.
Because I’ve witnessed firsthand their potential for suffering, I appreciate each wriggling, hungry little caterpillar as a marvel unto itself.
Because I’ve wept over the sweeping losses caused by predators, I greet with joy each new chrysalis–perfectly shaped jewel boxes, housing secret transformations within.
And the metamorphosis of a microscopic, pearlescent egg into this Monarch butterfly? Nothing short of a miracle.
Art Challenge of the week: Tricksters
The focus of this week’s art challenge is that mythical creator of mayhem, the Trickster.
In its broadest definition, a Trickster is an archetypal character who breaks all the rules. His antics are the stuff of legends, at once amusing and edifying. True, they’re mischievous. Given free rein, they can be troublemakers. But while they’re known for their shadow sides, they also offer levity and light.
Lizard suns itself at Shipley Nature Center (Huntington Beach, CA)
An animal’s survival oftentimes depends on the clever art of camouflage. This lizard wears his cloak of near-invisibility well, don’t you think?
Gingersnaps at Salt Creek Beach
According to Lewis Hyde, ” Trickster myths begin with a being whose main concern is getting fed… whose creativity and intelligence allows him to outwit other eaters.”
So much for my bag of gingersnaps!
Monarch Caterpillar, eating milkweed in my backyard
A Trickster is a shapeshifter. In the Navajo tradition, for instance, the lowly Caterpillar is considered sacred for its ability to transform into a winged Butterfly.
Monarch Butterfly, enjoying a royal feast in my backyard
And yet, regal as it seems, the butterfly can be flighty and vain. Tricksy. So the Caterpillar is considered the more trustworthy of the two.
Me, from the About page of my website (www.melodyeshore.com).
Creative beings that they are, tricksters like to shake things up a bit. They color outside the lines, giggle in church and (in subtle and/or outrageous ways), defy convention.
Me, reimagined by the app 小偶 – 我的3D萌偶 (Huanshi Ltd)
They are the visionaries and the pilgrims, the archeologists and the astronauts. Gifted with endless imaginations — and bottomless bags of tricks — it’s the Tricksters who invite us to look beyond the obvious, and who transport us to other worlds, as yet unexplored.
Linkfest! If you want to see other bloggers’ responses to this week’s challenge, click here, or visit my photographic response to last week’s challenge, stars.