Monarchs in the Garden

Bonus du jour: Monarchs on my tall, blue salvia.

Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine;
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.

Excerpt from Auguries of Innocence, by William Blake¹

Last Fall, I planted salvia along one side of my deck. The plants were small last year, but this summer, they grew to nearly 6′ tall. They’re abuzz with honey and bumble bees, hummingbird moths, yellow swallowtail butterflies, and Monarchs.

Watching my dogs enraptured with chasing a ball, tending to a bone, deliriously happy stretching out in the grass with the warm sunshine on their faces, I was reminded that we too can fully engage in present joyful moments amidst daily strife.

I hadn’t seen Monarch butterflies since I lived in southern Colorado when they’d stop for a cool drink from a thin meltwater waterfall and rest under the shade of a leafy tree on the dry side of the mountains.

What was your bonus du jour?

#monarchs, #butterflies, #garden, #salvia, #photography, #williamblake, #joy

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¹ Blake, W. (1917). Auguries of Innocence by William Blake. Nicholson & Lee, eds. 1917. The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse. Retrieved from https://www.bartleby.com/236/60.html

² OConnor, E. K. (2018). Monarch in the Garden [Photograph].