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A Joyful Noise

monarch butterfly

Monarch Butterfly, laying eggs in my backyard garden

July 30, 2019 by Melodye Shore

This magnificent monarch drifted into our backyard, a splash of sunshine on a warm summer day. #RoyalVisitor

She fluttered among the milkweed plants for several minutes, making touch-and-go-landings and then drifting upward.

With the assistance of my zoom lens, I soon realized she was curling her abdomen around their long, oval-shaped leaves. She pausing for a quick moment on each, and then wafted over to the next plant. 

Can you guess what she was doing?

She was laying eggs on the undersides of the milkweed leaves, where her caterpillars will eventually feed and grow!

How lovely, to witness firsthand this first stage of the metamorphosis cycle. Not to mention, a refreshing break from the 24/7 news cycle.

Posted in: backyard, Butterflies, eggs, gift, metamorphosis, monarch butterfly, Monarch Waystation, wings, Witness, writing Tagged: butterfly, butterfly eggs, eggs, metamorphosis, milkweed, monarch butterfly, witness

In the heat of summer

July 7, 2018 by Melodye Shore

110 record-breaking degrees here today, whew!

Our backyard critters were unusually quiet, save for the Monarch butterflies that drifted through the milkweed, laying eggs, and the honeybees that swarmed the birdbath.

Hummingbirds performed aerial feats against a backdrop of shimmering palm fronds.  But they eventually called it quits, and retreated to the leafy shade of our Brazilian Skyflower.

A lizard skittered across the blistering concrete, looking for a dark, cool place to nap. 

It was unseasonably warm, and the afternoon breezes did little to cool things down. But the blazing sun is fading now, ever so slowly. A warm glow has fallen over the neighboring hillside, and temperatures are dropping. 

Ahhhh, time for a long, cool drink of water!!

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Posted in: backyard, birds, garden, hummingbird fountain, hummingbirds, Lizard, monarch butterfly, writing Tagged: hummingbird, hummingbird fountain, lizard, milkweed, monarch butterfly, summer

#ThankfulThursday: Everyday blessings and another birthday

November 16, 2017 by Melodye Shore

“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful.

They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness —

Just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it;

Just warmth and shelter and home folks;

Just plain food that gives us strength;

The bright sunshine on a cold day;

And a cool breeze when the day is warm.”

(Words of wisdom by Laura Ingalls Wilder, photographs from my grateful heart.)

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Posted in: #ThankfulThursday, birthday, joy, joyful noise, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Quotes, writing Tagged: desert wildflowers, freckles, Judah, monarch butterfly, Seattle, toby, Witness Cafe

Hope as antidote for suffering

September 11, 2017 by Melodye Shore

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.

Posted in: Butterflies, caterpillar, eggs, garden, Helen Keller, Hope, metamorphosis, milkweed, monarch butterfly, monarch caterpillar, mother nature, Quotes, suffering, wings Tagged: caterpillar, chrysalis, egg, Helen Keller, hope, metamorphosis, milkweed, monarch butterfly, monarch butterfly egg, suffering

Fresh magic, offered daily

July 18, 2017 by Melodye Shore

A new day begins, and Mother Nature is once again waving her magic wand.

The stained-glass wings were immediately recognizable,  but it took some sleuthing to identify the powder puff plant. (Nancy Drew’s my alter ego–you knew that, right?)

That sweet little tree is a Calliandra Surinaemensis. Notable for its profusion of pink and white puff balls, it’s also a prolific nectar source. A royal feast for a Monarch butterfly, here and gone in the blink of an eye.

In this moment, a generous sprinkling of magic…and yet another reminder to keep my eyes and heart wide open.

Posted in: Butterflies, calliandra surinaemensis, magic, monarch butterfly, nectar, Powder Puff Tree Tagged: calliandra surinaemensis, magic, monarch butterfly, nectar, powder puff tree

“Because nature doesn’t know about borders”

November 5, 2016 by Melodye Shore

We should bow deeply before the orchid and the snail and join our palms reverently before the monarch butterfly and the magnolia tree. The feeling of respect for all species will help us recognize the noblest nature in ourselves. –Thích Nhất Hạnh

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Overwintering Monarch Butterflies (Huntington Beach, California)

I’m honored to share with you some wonderful news:

Thanks to my blog entry about Overwintering Monarchs in Orange County, California, I get play a small part in a program designed to raise public awareness about overwintering spots for Monarch butterflies in Mexico!

A team of biologists from Ensenada approached me a while back, asking permission to use the photo I’ve reposted at the top of this page.

We have some pictures and diagrams of the Monarch but we don’t have pictures of the Monarch when they are clustered in the eucalyptus tree. We would like to have this pictures so people have an idea what to look for to find the Overwintering spots…. We applied thru the National Park of Sierra de San Pedro Mártir to get founds from the CONANP (National Commission of Protected Natural Areas) to raise awareness of the status of the Monarch Butterfly in Baja California. We got a [grant] to make a 2 day workshop for 20 people. We are inviting personal from the Natural Protected Areas from Baja California, also representatives of the Nongovernmental Organisations that work with Conservation and Wildlife in the area (Terra Peninsular, Pro Esteros, FASOL, etc). The workshop will be given by my fellow Biologist Ibes Favian Davila and Felipe Leon, who recently attended a Monarch Conservation Conference in Alamo Sonora…

As part of this public awareness project, biologist Saul Riatiga and his colleagues created posters and brochures that 1) distinguish the Monarch from other butterflies; 2) identify native milkweeds; and 3) describe Overwintering spots. These print materials will be shared among conservation groups, and will also be distributed to communities in and around Ensenada.

Triptico 8 .5 x 11.

I was thrilled to see my photograph in this trifold brochure–while  I don’t read Spanish, it speaks to a lifelong wish to make a positive difference in this beautiful world we share.

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I’ve learned so much in the process of becoming a Monarch Waystation, and then witnessing the miracle of metamorphosis in my own backyard! So gratifying, to have my own experiences linked to this larger conservation project!

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I’ve not yet mastered everything there is to know about Monarch Butterflies — not even close! — so I’m excited to see where this international partnership might lead.

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Oh, the places you’ll go…

Dr. Seuss’s words couldn’t be more prescient. This what comes of indulging your curiosity and following your passions, wherever they might lead you. Because, as of my new scientist-friends so wisely said, “Nature doesn’t know about borders.”

 

You can follow this project on Facebook, at Monarchs en la Oeste. Community members will be interacting with scientists, sharing anecdotes and contributing photos to the overall data collection efforts.  

Posted in: Baja California, Butterflies, california, Central Park Library Huntington Beach, Ensenada, eucalyptus grove, eucalyptus trees, Huntington Beach, metamorphosis, Mexico, monarch butterfly, Monarch Waystation, Photography, Thich Nhat Hahn Tagged: Ensenada, Eucalyptus trees, huntington beach, metamorphosis, Mexico, monarch butterfly, Overwintering Monarchs, photography

The guardian of my secret garden

May 24, 2016 by Melodye Shore

The butterfly counts not months, but moments, and has time enough. – Rabindranath Tagore

 If there’s one thing I’ve learned from gardening, it’s that Mother Nature has her own rhythms. Mystifying and maddening though it might sometimes be, there’s an underlying order.

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Why, for instance, is this Monarch caterpillar doing sit-ups on the milkweed leaf? No idea. Sassy little thing, though, isn’t she?  If all goes well, she’ll shed her beautiful skin a couple more times, and then transform herself into a chrysalis.

Maybe one day, she’ll join the ranks of HRH, Mr. Monarch, who eclosed before our very eyes, just about this time last year.

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I’m less inclined, this year than last, to fret when things go “wrong.” It’s a subtle shift–a metamorphosis, if you will–to see yourself as an invited guest at Mother Nature’s garden party.

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Speaking of which: Cool cats that they are,  4th and 5th instar caterpillars are very much attuned to the world beyond milkweed plants that fuel them. By the time they’ve reached this stage,they’ve made least four wardrobe changes, shedding their skins as they grow. Cooler still, they swivel their heads in the direction of distinctive voices and loud music. Here’s what happened when I got close enough to say hello.

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I’m learning as I go, and I cop to my share of mistakes. (I put just-perfect plants in altogether wrong spots, for instance; and I can’t get my First Love gardenia to love me back.) But I’m working very hard to create a garden that provides shelter and sustenance to winged creatures and wildlife, a beautiful respite for all.

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I admire from a distance, zoom close with my camera. But when vulnerable creatures wander off into dangerous territory, as this tiny caterpillar did–flinging itself onto the hard, hot concrete, at least three feet below the plant pot)–I scoop them into a leafy cradle and return them to safety.

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I’m planting the seeds of my own awareness…releasing expectations and accepting with joy the gifts available to me in this moment, in this place. Life lessons, learned best in Mother Nature’s classroom.

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It’s a relief, actually, to let Mother Nature be the guardian of my secret garden.

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Sure, the temptation’s there, and probably always will be: I want to run interference, to protect these treasures from harm.  But as Eric said to me just yesterday, “You’re not Mother Nature, you’re Melodye. He’s a wise one, too, my husband.

Posted in: Butterflies, gardening, metamorphosis, milkweed, monarch butterfly, Monarch Waystation, wings Tagged: chrysalis, garden, metamorphosis, milkweed, monarch, monarch butterfly, transformation

The KKK rally in Anaheim, Part II: What was I thinking?

March 7, 2016 by Melodye Shore

Whether or not they supported the counter-protest (or read my takeaways from that event), a handful of people expressed real concerns about my having attended the KKK rally in Anaheim. Some talked to me privately; still others confronted me outright. What on earth were you thinking?  It seems so out of character, they said.

I disagreed. It’s all of a piece, I said, and I invited them to look a little deeper. I’ll answer those questions here (as often as you’d like…), if you’ll permit me to come at them sideways.

We are multi-faceted beings, every one of us. I’m captivated by Mother Nature’s most exquisite creations, but–and–I also have within my heart an innate desire to cradle “the least of them,” within and beyond my own garden gates.

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I watch hummingbirds out my kitchen window every morning, see them wage fierce battles mid-air, iridescent wings shimmering in the afternoon sun as they chase away intruders. Inspired by their courage, I run outside, flailing my arms as I shout, “Shoo! Go away!” to the murder of crows on the neighboring hillside.

I’m swept away by a robin’s song, and I carry within my heart an anthem: Cheer cheer, cheerily, cheer up…change is gonna come.  

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I twist the lens until the mourning dove comes into focus, and use Lightroom to scrub the poop plops on the fence. It’s more pleasant that way, don’t you think?

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When the water shortage deepened, we replaced our backyard sod with drought-friendly flowers, all of which attract butterflies, honeybees, and songbirds. It’s a small space, and our switchover to drip irrigation isn’t going to refill the aquifers.  But it helps prevent runoff from polluting our ocean, and it’s more than enough to fill the birdbaths again every morning.

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Between the lavender and penstemon, we’ve planted this sign. It’s an honor to be designated as a Monarch Waystation, in recognition of the work we’re doing to help support the earth and her inhabitants. Bare minimum, it’s a conversation piece. Each one, teach one. We learn from each other.

Exactly one week after the KKK rally, I plant milkweed seeds with my little friend Sara. It’s in short supply now, due to overzealous pesticide applications and misguided/misinformed land management practices.  The consequences are devastating: Since milkweed’s the sole food source for monarch caterpillars, and the only plant on which monarch butterflies lays its egg, the monarch population has plummeted. We’re doing our part to help save these winged beauties from the threat of extinction.

I know from experience (and the parable of the sower) that the things we sow don’t always take root and grow. Even so, as we tuck tiny seeds into peat pockets, I say a silent benediction: Let hope be renewed, and peace be restored, within our own hearts and the habitats we share. And I remember, then as always, the African proverb: “When you pray, move your feet.”

Long answer made short?

This is how it feels to work together on behalf of something bigger than ourselves–something that has potentially positive effects, on our own lives and that of future generations.

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Posted in: Anaheim, beach, Butterflies, counter-protesters, Drought, gardening, honeybees, hummingbird eggs, hummingbird nest, hummingbirds, Inky and Starr, KKK Rally, liminal spaces, milkweed, monarch butterfly, Monarch Waystation, mother nature, Orange County California, peace, robin, robins, Sara Tagged: birds, hope, hummingbirds, kkk rally, monarch butterfly, monarch waystation, Pearson Park, seeds

Monarch Butterflies are overwintering in Orange County, California

January 4, 2016 by Melodye Shore

When we stopped by last Saturday, Leslie Gibson was pruning her butterfly garden, pausing now and again to introduce her Monarch caterpillars to curious passersby. A former puppeteer and special education teacher, it was this gentle but intrepid woman who led the charge to restore Huntington Beach’s Gibbs Park to its former beauty, and to reimagine it as a Monarch Waystation and overwintering site.

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“Our Monarchs are hanging out in Central Park Library Amphitheater this year,” Leslie told us when we visited. A handful of butterfly scouts hovered around Gibbs Park earlier in the fall, but they found the grove less hospitable than in previous years, given a tree-trimming crew had removed their sheltering branches.

We were glad for Leslie’s tip–happy, too to find ourselves among nature lovers of all ages. Such a rare and magical experience, to see this final stage of a butterfly’s metamorphosis in progress! We raised and answered questions amongst ourselves, and snapped lots of photos. And yes, we were also transformed, each in our own ways, by the miracles we’d witnessed.

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For instance: When Monarchs undergo their egg-to-butterfly metamorphosis someplace West of the Rockies, they tend to overwinter along the California coast. Their migration patterns lead them to standing groves of eucalyptus trees, Monterey pines and cypress. Unless you know where to look, you might not see them–with their colorful orange wings folded inward, they’re well camouflaged by variegated tree bark and pointed leaves. In fact, we served as ad hoc docents on more than one occasion, pointing out the butterfly clusters to those who happened upon the eucalyptus grove during a serendipitous walk through the park.

Overwintering Monarchs are typically sluggish, as you can easily see in the picture below. Their inactivity serves as camouflage in this, more vulnerable state.

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But when the sun comes out, they unfurl their wings and gradually drift away from the cluster, like flower petals in the breeze.

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Subtle flutterings that eventually become a riot of color.

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A magic trick of the highest order, it carries your breath away.

In the lower branches, we saw a handful of butterflies that sported a Monarch Alert tag. Such was the case with this lovely specimen, released just yesterday by a charming little girl for whom raising the Monarch population is an ongoing backyard project.

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Three to five generations of Monarch butterflies are born every spring and summer. Most will survive for just a few weeks. Some of you might remember that I was lucky enough to record this metamorphosis in real time, in my own backyard.

This last generation of 2015 will live upwards of 8 months. They typically mate in early spring, when the life cycle begins anew.

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I’d like to think that “my” Monarchs found themselves among the group that migrates to overwintering sites in California and Mexico. In any case, I feel privileged to have witnessed firsthand this magical phenomenon, nearby and easily accessible!

El Niño’s going to be dropping some serious rain this week, so the Monarchs will probably hunker down. Or hang loose, as some locals might say. (This is Surf City, USA we’re talking about, after all….) I’ll wait out the storms, same as the Monarchs, but when the sun reappears, I’ll make my way back to the eucalyptus groves, and to the Butterfly garden in Gibbs Park. If it’s not too far to travel, I hope see you there!

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Posted in: Butterflies, california, Central Park, Central Park Library Huntington Beach, eucalyptus grove, eucalyptus trees, Gibbs Park, Huntington Beach, metamorphosis, monarch butterfly, Monarch Waystation, mother nature, Orange County California, Photography, Surf City USA Tagged: butterflies, el nino, Eucalyptus trees, Gibbs Park, Leslie Gibson, metamorphosis, monarch butterfly, monarch waystation, orange county, Surf City USA

Ringing in the New Year, 2016

January 2, 2016 by Melodye Shore

Another turn of the calendar page, and here we are, standing at the threshold of 2016. We had a quiet celebration, here at Chez Shore. No fireworks, no champagne flutes at midnight…we just reveled in each other’s company, and that of longtime friends. After dinner, we hiked to a beautiful vantage point, not far from our home. We watched in awe as the sun extinguished its fire in the Pacific Ocean, but not before putting its final punctuation mark on the year.

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I’ve been reflecting today on the highlights of 2015, while also imagining the possibilities for 2016.  No, I’m not planning to write a formal list of New Year’s resolutions–an illustrated journal page is more my style. In 2015, for instance, I created a collage of sorts for the word SUSTAIN, a multi-faceted theme that I oftentimes referenced.

I haven’t yet settled on a word for this year, but from my 2015 catalog of pictures and blogs, I pulled together a brief retrospective. Here, some of the myriad people and events that sustained me last year. I invite you to revisit those special moments with me, and to consider how we might respond this year to Mary Oliver’s question:

Tell me…

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Oh Happy Day! Harlem Gospel Choir workshop & onstage performance (February)

What is it you plan to do…

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His Holiness, XIV Dalai Lama talks about compassion, on the occasion of his 80th Birthday Celebration (July)

With your one…

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Leaf-peeping in history-steeped New England, and the singularly successful book launch of Jeannine Atkins’ LITTLE WOMAN IN BLUE, a novel about May Alcott (October)

Wild…

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A well-nourished leopard guards his “prey,” at the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound and Conservation Center (April)

And precious…

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This ray of sunshine, also known as my grandson (August)

Life?

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A backyard metamorphosis, from caterpillar to chrysalis to winged beauty (June)

Wishing you a joyful 2016, in which your relationships nurture and inspire you, and every day’s a grand adventure.

(Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? was excerpted from Mary Oliver’s hugely popular poem, A Summer Day. )

Posted in: beach, Butterflies, Global Summit on Compassion, Harlem Gospel Choir, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, joyful noise, Lev, metamorphosis, monarch butterfly, Nature, New England, Photography Tagged: dalai lama, exotic feline breeding compound, hummingbird nest 2015, jeannine atkins, joy, laguna beach, monarch butterfly, tiger
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