monarch butterfly – Page 2

Art Challenge of the Week: Creating abundance

November 27, 2015 by Melodye Shore

“Abundance is not something we acquire,” Wayne Dyer once said, “It is something we tune into.” I wholeheartedly agree. It’s not about having, or doing, or aspirational thinking. The Secret (if there is one) is to be fully present in each moment, wholly appreciative of the gifts available to us in the here and now.

It’s the ability to see a hummingbird’s nest for the iridescent promises it holds…

And to greet unannounced guests as if they belonged, as if this were the plan all along.

Abundance reveals itself when you wade, unafraid, into frothy waters.

Sometimes it appears as if by magic–shimmery bouquets from a bubble wand, for instance.

It presents itself in expansive moments of peaceful awareness,

Expresses itself as joyful noise or a whispered “amen.”

Abundance is a splashy little thing,

With a graceful elegance.

It’s a timeless beauty, capable of endless transformations.

Abundance can be of our own making, of course–bread dough, for instance, set to rise in a warm kitchen.

Perfect in its imperfections, it fills us with a delicious sense of well-being.

Abundance is the secret gardens we tend…

Within each seed of awareness, an abundant harvest.

I snapped these photos over the course of this past year. They speak to grand adventures and simple delights, quiet beauty and occasions that shout, Behold! It’s a curated collection, brief glimpses of the whole story, but when I remember these wide-eyed, breathless moments, I’m filled anew with gratitude for the abundance they represent.

How apropos, that Thanksgiving week prompted the challenge word abundance. Want to see more? Visit Veronica Roth’s page and follow the links. My responses to previous challenge words are available here.

Five Facts about Me

August 7, 2015 by Melodye Shore

1. I never dreamed I’d live so close to the ocean, but I’ve always felt its pull.

2. If Nature is a magician, I’ve fallen under her spell.

3. I can’t explain this #NanaLove any more than I can count the stars.

4. Happy is my default setting.

5. “Your home should rise up to greet you,” says Nate Berkus, “And at the end of the day, it should ground you in a sense of peace.” I’m not an interior decorator by any means, but I think my home is comfortable and welcoming.

Day 6 of Susannah Conway’s #AugustBreak2015 photography challenge. The phrase of the day is 5 Facts about Me. Ask me again tomorrow, and I’d probably create a wholly different collage. Maybe I’d adjust the zoom lens, crop the pictures a little tighter. But this is pretty decent selfie, for a first attempt.

Monarch Metamorphosis: As with this butterfly, it’s change that gives us wings

June 24, 2015 by Melodye Shore

We delight in the butterfly but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty–Maya Angelou

I posted most of these photographs to my Facebook page, in real time, but it seems to me a miracle this grand deserves an encore performance. Enjoy!

April 1st. A Monarch butterfly visits the milkweed plant that I’ve tucked into a container garden, alongside a fuchsia.

April 27. I missed the egg stage altogether, but look! A Monarch caterpillar is munching the milkweed plant that its mother visited a few weeks back.

When I first discovered it, the very hungry caterpillar was inching its way across my backyard patio, having just discarded its skin. Ever the ~~hovercraft~~ watchful mama, I supervised my husband as he scooped up the butterfly-to-be with gentle hands and nestled it into soil at the base of the milkweed. Nimble little thing, it climbed to the topmost branch and started nibbling.

May 29. Cirque de Caterpillar! The J shape signals its readiness for the next phase of metamorphosis. In this photograph, it’s creating a silk pad on the underside of the fuchsia leaf, after which it’ll connect its hook-like appendage (cremaster) to the pad and twist about–an aerobatic hokey-pokey that helps ensure the cremaster is firmly attached.

Sheer magic! The caterpillar sheds its skin one last time, revealing its fragile beauty. The chrysalis hardens and dries overnight, and by daybreak, it’s transformed itself into a beautiful jade pendant, with a gold band around the top and gold flecks near the bottom.

May 30. Royal Baby Watch begins! In 9-14 days, on average, the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly will be complete. The green turns more opaque, and the golden ‘necklace’ is more pronounced. See how the tiny beads sparkle in the sunlight? Although entomologists have hypothesized about their purpose, they haven’t yet settled on an answer. Beauty sometimes exists for its own sake, am I right?

June 12. Although it’s now 3 days beyond the normal hatching period, I’m reminding myself that the transformation is sometimes delayed by cooler weather. Only 1% of Monarchs survive every stage of the egg-caterpillar-chrysallis-butterfly cycle. Grim statistics, but I’m wearing my rose-colored glasses.

June 17. Well,would you look at that! Our Monarch is a full week overdue for eclosing (“hatching”), but it looks as if its royal debut is imminent! The chrysalis turned dark green this morning, and the walls are thinning. By nightfall, barely visible but unmistakable…Monarch butterfly wings.

June 18. I’m up at dawn, so I don’t miss anything. The chrysalis is nearly black now, but pressed against the sides as they are, the wings look like stained glass windows. I take take the full measure of the chrysalis, double-check my camera equipment, and readjust my tripod.

June 18, 10:45 a.m. The chrysalis is inky black, but fully transparent, and you can see breaks along the bottom.

Cracks develop along the backside first, where the wings overlap.

June 18, approximately 11:45. Within the space of about a minute, the bottom of the chrysalis bursts open and the butterfly emerges, head first. He unfurls those gorgeous wings, climbs the nearest leaf, and rests there for about an hour. He’s helpless at this stage, given that his wings are wet, but never fear! I’m keeping an eye out for potential predators.

The emptied chrysalis is the best of form and function–truly, a work of art.

When an ocean breeze drifts through the backyard. His Royal Majesty seems to enjoy it. He turns his head from side to side, spreads and retracts his wings, clings to a fuchsia branch and wiggles his antenna.

About two hours later, he gets the urge the fly. Rough going, at first. He careens around the flowerpot. Flutter. Flap. A running start, then wheeee, he takes to the skies!

(My video’s too large to post, but you can watch his inaugural flight at this link).

The Monarch lands on the sweet pea butterfly bush at the edge of our flowerbed. He assumes elegant poses, as if to indulge this paparazzo’s fascination. My camera’s battery runs out before his patience.

The sun is directly overhead when he takes off again–flawless wings, gliding across an impossibly blue sky. I am at once wistful and ecstatic, and grateful for the opportunity to witness this metamorphosis.

Oh, and I’m happy to report that Monarch butterfly returned to my garden again this morning. I’ll be watching for tiny eggs in my milkweed plant…

UPDATE: After reading more about Monarchs this morning, I’ve changed the gender references in this post. The black pouches and thin veining on the hind wings help identify this beautiful specimen as a male. (source).

From caterpillar to butterfly, artistry and joy

May 26, 2015 by Melodye Shore

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” –Maya Angelou

We delight, also, in Eric Carle’s artistry, and the aerobatics of this very hungry caterpillar.

Art Challenge of the week: Tricksters

May 15, 2015 by Melodye Shore

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.

Anniversary Weekend in Santa Barbara

January 5, 2015 by Melodye Shore

Twelve years ago, we exchanged our vows in the clock tower of this very building on a sunny January morning…lots of surprises since, but not a single day’s regrets. 🙂

(Virtual tour of the Santa Barbara Courthouse and its world-famous, panoramic views)

And so it was that we celebrated our anniversary in Santa Barbara last weekend.

Familiarity with an area is at once comfortable and reassuring, same as with a long-term marriage. Even so, we’re always on the lookout for new experiences, and we actively seek out areas as-yet-unexplored. To our surprise and delight, we discovered Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. It’s an urban oasis, truly, so beautiful and tranquil!

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Stearns Wharf was more kinetic and noisy, this being the final hurrah for snowbirds who flock to SoCal beaches during the winter holidays.

I didn’t walk the full length of the pie because of the uneven wooden planks. I’m not yet as sure-footed as I’d like to be, and I need to protect my injured ankle. For the most part, I just basked in the peaceful setting, cherished equally by locals and tourists. And thanks to my zoom lens, I was able to bring close the beautiful scenery that’s beyond my current reach.

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By the time I write my next blog entry, I’ll have migrated over to WordPress. I’ll give you a heads-up, of course, in hopes that you’ll follow me over there.) I can’t wait to tell you about our field trip to the Coronado Butterfly Preserve in Goleta! If you’ve never seen over-wintering monarchs before, you’re in for a real treat! Here’s a sneak preview–very short, because I’m just now figuring out the video features on my camera.

Monarch

April 22, 2012 by Melodye Shore

Her wings shone brilliant in the afternoon sun–like vestments or stained glass windows.

Wind gusts blew through the Mission courtyard, rippling the murky waters in the Fountain of the Four Evangelists. The monarch toppled upside down on her lavender stalk, and when I zoomed closer, I realized that one of her wings was torn.

She clung to that flower for the longest while, underside showing, as if willing those breezes to either fling her loose or to help set her upright again.

Bells rang. A wedding party streamed out of Serra Chapel, bumping past me as they followed the bride and groom down the sidewalk. I looked away for a moment and the butterfly was gone. I'm sorry I missed her return to the skies, but I'm happy she found her freedom.

For my mother, who would've been 74 years old today. She loved flowers and birds and mountain streams and such, and she taught me to appreciate Mother Nature.

Thankful Thursday: All the king’s horses…

December 9, 2010 by Melodye Shore

I have a great deal to be thankful for, this week especially. So I apologize in advance for the length of this entry.

1. At the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival this past weekend, I met K.C., an artist who paints exquisite landscapes, birds, flowers and other delightful images. She derives inspiration from her own childhood experiences, here and in China, her country of origin. I selected two watercolor paintings of small birds, and she translated the accompanying poems for me in halting English. “Even the tiniest of birds has big wishes. They want to soar high in the sky," she said, hands fluttering like wings as she spoke. And then we talked about what that meant to each of us.

Through that brief encounter, I realized anew the power of art, in all its forms. It has transcendence, lifting us above and beyond specific circumstances and bringing us to a deeper place of connection. And so it was that we forged a connection: artisan, writer, friends.

2. I also visited Scott Schoenherr’s booth, which was almost eclipsed by a giant eucalyptus tree, but definitely worth exploring. Inspired by everyday experience, his one-of-a-kind ceramic sculptures are anything but ordinary. (Browse when you can; they’ll make you smile!) We got to talking about one of his pieces, which he called “Monarch," and he explained that the whimsical piece was, in fact, inspired by the monarch butterfly.

In the course of that conversation, Scott mentioned that he’d recently turned over a large portion of his garden to the milkweed plant, thus creating a feeding ground for that gorgeous winged creature during its annual migration. I have fond memories of the monarch butterfly, so I was excited to learn more about this beautiful insect from a backyard enthusiast. I remember seeing milkweed everywhere when I was younger, but as manicured yards encroached upon natural habitats, these butterfly sanctuaries are being lost. So today, I’m especially thankdful for people like Scott, who have dedicated themselves (and their gardens) to turning things around!

3. Kerry Madden wrote a wonderful blog post this morning at A Good Blog Is Hard to Find. It’s gorgeous in its authenticity and tremendously inspiring, so I recommend you read the whole thing. But you know how it is when certain words jumps off the page and land in your lap? That’s how it was when I encountered the phrase, “come-aparts":

"Mr. Negative gave me a serious case of the "come-aparts." Another student, not Mr. Negative, wrote about his mother and how she used to get the “come-aparts” after drinking a case of Tall Boys. (Horrifying? Impressive?) As an adult, he’d have to go over and calm her down with a “Momma, let’s pray” when his own mild daddy couldn’t do a thing for her." (Go on. Read the entire passage. We’ll wait!)

I haven’t come across that expression for years! But the instant I saw it—all dressed up in quotation marks and dropped into a familiar context—I found myself thinking about the last time I’d heard it.

Colloquialisms like this are emotional anchors, tying us to specific situations. They provide our readers with geographic context and emotional authenticity. So I’m grateful to Kerry for this little flashback, and I’m hoping my own writing will be richer for her example.

4. Come-aparts and King’s horses. We all suffer from this very human malady at one time or another, whether or not we like to admit it. Very recently, I was feeling a bit fragile, cracked open by circumstances beyond my control. I’m deeply thankful for the all the good eggs (including you) who helped me reassemble my Humpty Dumpty self. Whew, it feels so good to take deep breaths again! But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also express gratitude for the lessons I revisited during that difficult time.

Image Credits: Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed plant via KidZone; Humpty Dumpty, by way of School of Blog. I took the photo of K.C. with my cell phone, and yes, this is how we dress in 60-degree weather.