After such a long journey, a rest . . . .

This beautiful butterfly came floating in the breeze and landed in the grass on the front lawn.  After doing some research, we are still unclear whether it is a Monarch.  Very similar to a Viceroy, a Monarch does not have the black horizontal band along the edge of its wings and this one doesn’t appear to have the black bands.  It is lovely, and we were thrilled that it chose to land where we could observe it.

Can you direct me to the butterfly hospital? . . .

This lovely specimen, which we could not identify, got caught in the tidal wave of emptying the wading pool that provides the geese with water to drink, bathe and splash in.  It appeared to have an injury to one of its wings, which are so fragile you wonder how they stay aloft in wind, rain and all the rest of nature’s obstacles.  After observing it for a time, we gently laid it in a flower pot where it clung to a geranium for the rest of the afternoon.  Later, when we discovered it gone, we comforted ourselves that it may have gained strength to move on.