First Monarch Arrives: Symbolism & Soul
“It’s July 19. Where have you been? Just a few years ago, I saw your ancestors by the beginning of June.”
Don’t scold me, he says, hiding his hind black and orange wings behind a milkweed leaf. I’m doing my best. There was drought in Mexico all winter and few flowers survived. Without pollen, many of my tribe died. After leaving the Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, big storms and strong winds pushed us south when we needed to go north. Forgive me and honor my effort. I’m the only Monarch you’ve seen so far this summer, so celebrate me. Don’t scold me. I heard you calling. I’m here.
“I didn’t mean to scold. I’m grateful you’re here, so let’s start over.
Beautiful and miraculous traveler, welcome to your summer home in Hector, land of lakes and milkweed, land of flowers you love. I planted your favorite nectar flowers along with others already growing in the fields like asters and goldenrod. Forgive me for my anxious welcome. I’ve been so worried about you.”
I forgive, but have you seen any females? I’m looking for girls and they usually hang around the flowers.
“I have a few eggs a female laid on milkweed and I found more eggs today, so there’s a female in the field somewhere. I haven’t seen her either. I’m sorry to put so much pressure on you, but you’re my summer therapy. I love you and honor you and do all I can to give you a safe home.”
This isn’t about you. I just couldn’t get here, but I’m here now on my big, bold, and beautiful wings. See you later.
“You’ve only been here five minutes. Do you have to leave so soon? You must be a guy, but I can’t see your back wing clearly enough to be positive.”
“I’m a gorgeous guy loaded with testosterone looking for sexy Monarch babes, so you keep finding and protecting eggs and I’ll do my part. By the end of the summer there should be many of us. I’m out of here now, looking for Monarch chicks. You have milkweed but I need a lady and I haven’t seen many. Watch for eggs and take care of them. I know you’re good at that.”
“And you’re good at chasing females, but don’t be too tough on them. You’re known for aggressive sex, but be gentle. Don’t tear their wings or hold them down for too long. You need each female to lay pearly egg domes on milkweed leaves. I need them, too, so can you be less rough?
“Please come back, and thanks for letting me know you’re here. I found three little eggs in the milkweed a few days ago so maybe you’re already met a girl or maybe someone else met her first. The eggs are already tiny caterpillars eating tender milkweed I gathered for them, and yesterday I found a fourth egg. This is just the beginning.”
***
I admit I’m obsessed. I fret until the Monarchs arrive. This year they lost 60% of their population in their wintering sites in Mexico. Would any make it all the way to the NY Finger Lakes sailing on the winds? The first Monarch in my flower garden gave me hope and I began searching. I haven’t seen another adult Monarch, but there are eggs out there on young milkweed plants, maybe enough eggs to make a new local generation.
There are also hungry predators and parasites like spiders and ladybugs and wasps competing for the same eggs. I have over a dozen caterpillars now and they’ll soon be large enough to move into an outdoor mesh habitat filled with milkweed on my back porch. For now I watch over each baby to make sure they’re eating and thriving.
Do you have obsessions, too? What captures your imagination? I love that the word for butterfly and Soul are the same in formal Greek. There are similar beliefs in Mexico. Monarchs are my “soul animal.” What’s yours? For another post about Monarchs look at the Monarch archive or try Dancing with Monarchs, Defying Despair.
Aladin Fazel
It’s a joy that you finally met your favourite monarch friend. I am very late, I know! It was because of my poor condition to be online during my vacation. However, I am back home again. Have a lovely time with your beautiful butterflies. Blessing
Elaine Mansfield
I’m having many visitors (it’s August!) and a few butterflies. I’m happy there are any butterflies at all. I’m very late with responding to your posts, too, but this week I spent lots of time with my friend and book development editor cleaning up my website. It had too much unnecessary stuff, but making changes is always a challenge for me. I miss Vic at times like this since he was comfortable with computers. I’m always afraid I’ll make a disasterous mistake. I’m slowly recovering from last winter’s illness and getting used to diminished energy.
Patricia
❤️ with appreciative joy.
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you, Patricia. They bring me so much joy!!
Marian Beaman
I enjoyed your clever anthropomorphic dialogue here. And I rejoice with you that a monarch has arrived; may their tribe (especially female) increase! Although natural rhythms are usually cyclical and predictable, variations as you describe, can through them off. I’m always happy to learn something new, like today; “the word for butterfly and Soul are the same in formal Greek.” Who knew? Thanks, Elaine.
Elaine Mansfield
I hope there are a few migrators this year since each female lays hundreds of eggs. I don’t know if the eggs I’m finding now are destined to be egg-layers or migrators, but I’ll find out by their behavior and wing size. I just walked trails looking for tender milkweed in the field and found 3 eggs to add to the nursery.
I’ve written about this butterfly-psyche-soul connection before, but maybe I need to write more about it since you’re a faithful reader. Some of that information probably ended up in my manuscript, but not in my blog. I haven’t figured out how to end the Monarch story or even if I have the will to finish it, but I haven’t worked on it for a long time because I was too sick to think. As always, we’ll see what happens next. Sending love.
Jean Raffa
Congratulations! You have babies in your nursery now! May they live long and prosper!! Jeanie
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you, Jeanie. I earned each caterpillar prowling through milkweed fields looking for tiny eggs on young milkweed sprouts. Each female lays 300-500 eggs, so they can still contribute to the migration despite the late and strange season. I rarely see a Monarch, but have lots of land and a few butterflies must be around inspecting milkweed and laying eggs. I’ve only seen two males and no females. Yes, may they prosper. They have a perilous journey ahead with no guarantee of flowers and rain in Mexico. Enjoy your peaceful mountain home.
Deborah Gregory
This is just lovely Elaine! Thank you for letting this first Monarch hear your soul whispering, and us, hear his replies in return. Oh, I hope he finds the beautiful babes he’s searching for! As always, you include great photos. Here in the UK, it’s butterfly season, and with the hot weather and gentle winds, butterflies are fluttering around our garden from sunrise to sunset. They’re loving the tall purple verbena most of all! We’re overjoyed as the number of butterflies we’ve recorded now has reached twenty two varieties.
Hmm, I’m not sure what my soul animal is but I do know robins, rabbits, dragonflies, kingfishers, cats, deer, butterflies, bees, foxes, hares, owls … to name but a few … set my heart on fire! My imagination is always captured in woodlands, especially by tree elders. On mountain ranges and beside meandering rivers too. Deep inside caves and walking beside oceans on moonlit evenings. I love being outdoors and as I age, this nature obsession grows and grows. Sending love and light across the ocean and oak tops between us, Deborah.
Elaine Mansfield
I saw a second male Monarch yesterday but have yet to see a female. I have 16 caterpillars in my nursery plus a few more eggs looking ready to hatch, so there are females out in my fields somewhere. They’re hiding, but they lay a few eggs on young milkweed plants. How wonderful for you and Lin to have many butterflies fluttering. I’ve had many Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and Fritillary. All the butterflies love the echinacea here and soon the autumn asters and goldenrod. I’m already seeing a few goldenrod blossoms.
I have a plan to photograph all the old forest elders in my woods, but that will have to wait until Monarch season ends. I’m slow and my health hasn’t fully recovered, but I have an appointment with an herbalist tomorrow, so I keep trying things. I haven’t been near an ocean for a few years, but I saw a sunset shining over our beautiful Seneca Lake last week, sitting outside with my sons, their partners, and a few friends at a winery. We have amazing waterfalls, but no caves close by. Mostly we have our beautiful Finger Lakes, known by the indigenous groups as the handprint of god. My oak trees look healthy and haven’t begun dropping baby acorns, so that’s a good sign. Sending love and light back to you across the mountains and oceans.
Deborah Gregory
Sixteen caterpillars already, wow! It’s lovely to hear your news my dear friend. And I love, love, love your idea of photographing your old forest elders. What a fantastic future post(s) and project that would make! Lin and I, both enjoy naming our favourite trees too. Sometimes a name quickly comes to mind like ‘Oakenshield’ or ‘Deliah’, ‘Old Lady of the Woods’ or ‘Lady in Red’ (a beautiful copper beech we love at Avebury) etc. Much like family and friends, our woodland family are equally important to us. There are tree elders we’ve been visiting for fifty plus years now. Alongside many, many spaces where our tree friends have fallen.
Elaine Mansfield
Thanks for your tree story. A few old oaks and pines dropped last winter with heavy wind storms, not only in my woods, but all over this area. It’s a constant recycling but it hurts to see an old friend on the ground. I only had a few downed trees because my helper takes great care of the forest. After loss, there’s more light for young trees. I already have photos of most of the oldest trees here, but I could spend weeks or months sorting my photos and organizing them. Someday, I’ll do that. Maybe. I hope. Hugging an old White Oak for you.
Myra
Wow! Just, wow!!!!!!
Elaine Mansfield
I agree. We have a special bond because, like me, they can’t hear but feel percussive vibrations.