Flutternaut
by Uther Pendraggin
Title
Flutternaut
Artist
Uther Pendraggin
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A young Monarch Butterfly. Hours ago it was still in the chrysalis. Now He's trying to make sense of the world!
How discombobulating must it be?
But the thing is there is a reason I titled this as such. This particular butterfly was just not having it! I found him stuck among some lawn grass.
It's wasn't what you or I would call breezy, But what if we had two sails strapped to our back. It wouldn't take the same breeze for you to wish the wind would slow down for a second. He was stuck. I gave him a finger. The butterflies grab for your finger like it was a lifesaver thrown from a passing ocean liner. They make you feel wanted!
And they are not quick to let go. So I put the fellow on this piece of Quartz that I think passes for decoration (hey, it's a nice rock.)
He was very patient as I moved around him like it was a fashion shoot. Click clickclickclick.
He did a lot of moving his head back and forth like he was cracking the crinkles out of his neck. He'd flex the wings. He did not trust his legs at all. He was not at all sure he was cut out for this whole new way of life.
He has to learn how to fly. He has to learn how to fly with these gigantic sails in this swirling wind when he want to go upwind. It's amazing to watch them do it. They can find the gap between two globules of air that are spinning against each other. Then they dive into that gap and the swirling of the two grab the butterfly like one of those machines that throw Baseballs at the batting cages. Or that the coach puts the footballs through so he doesn't have to throw his arm off. The back spin of the two shoot the butterfly right through again the direction of the wind.
He has to learn how to do that. You can say it's instinctual, But I'm watching hundreds do it. I see when they can't and I see when they have figured it out.
I tried to encourage this one. I carried him around on my finger (just more breeze)I gave him some nectars But he was clinging to me like I was the last lifeboat off the Titanic.
Flutternaut is a pun. It indicates flutter NOT. This flutterby did not want to fly. He was willing to walk to Mexico. Or maybe he could get deported! But flutter? Not!
But I do have faith in him. I do believe he will be a flutternaut. He will flutter the heck out of it! All the way to Mexico! I carried him to some wildflowers, in the sun, out of the wind. I told him goodbye, and told him he'd be fine. He was still holding on there about 15 minutes later. But I'm sure he figured it out.
PLAU
UPD
Uploaded
September 18th, 2018
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Viewed 206 Times - Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/25/2024 at 4:03 AM
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Comments (3)
Laurie Cairone
Gorgeous!!
Uther Pendraggin replied:
Laurie, I'm sorry, I did not see this. My activity stream, these days...But, yeah. I agree. I hadtwo Pop today and there were at least 5 other youngsters that I helped in one way or another. and several that I bothered. If you like butterflies, and Monarchs in particular. Plant Milkweed! Period. Go to where the milk weed is growing. You'll find Monarchs! Thank you for finding this and that you for your commenting. "We know you have a choice of images to comment on, and you chose mine!" PLAU UPD
VIVA Anderson
Beautiful !
Uther Pendraggin replied:
VIVA, I am replete with Monarch Butterflies these days. This one was stuck in the grass not quite sure what had happened to him(her). Think of it. She was way tired and she dragged herself up and made her caterpillar self a place to sleep. When she woke up she was stuck in her sleeping bag. She wasn't whom she was before her nap. It's Kafkaesque! What are these things? Wings!!?? But I liked walking. I'm hungry, I used to eat leaves of milkweed plants… But now I'm supposed to eat nectar? I gave her a finger to crawl on to. I wound up taking her for a walk down the beach to where the bush that butterflies like is. But that bush had been taken over by Japanese Knotweed , which had already gone to see and was no longer producing the nectar Newly minted butterflies need. I left her with some purple flowers and I wished her the best of luck with the new wings and the longer legs. I hope it worked out for her. Thank you for your support. PLAU Uther BOTG
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