Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Strangers


A few days before Monday's 
surprise snow
we were dive-bombed
(lightly)
on our porch
by five or six of these 
moths?
butterflies?

They seemed more moth
than butterfly

similar to Monarch
but not quite
similar to Viceroy
but not quite

anyone know what it is?


Something is sprouting here -
I can't remember what -
but love the surprise
and the energy
of these tenacious purple sprouts.

Any guesses
what plant this might be?

Speaking of strangers
(the moth and the sprouts)
a favorite literary convention
of mine is
a stranger comes to town.

Just writing that phrase
gets my brain
jumping!

Do you have a favorite
stranger comes to town 
story?

I will quit
asking you
questions
right
now.

xx

12 comments:

  1. De très jolie photos... Je suis nulle et incapable de répondre à vos questions.
    Je me contente d'admirer...
    gros bisous

    ReplyDelete
  2. The first is a moth. Moths rest with their wings open. No idea about the purple-hued growth. My favorite stranger comes to town story is when an admired author visited - and became a cherished friend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The butterfly is a painted lady. I remember them from when the kindergarten class raised them a few years ago. I looked it up and sure enough! Looks exactly the same! http://www.butterflyutopia.com/live_butterfly_kit_feeder.html

    The plant looks like a hosta. I'm always looking for those purplish peaks to poke out of the ground each spring. Mine are up and lush now, with the freakishly warm spring and all.

    Not sure about a stranger comes to town story...does a new kid in town story count?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Funny, I was trying to take a picture of that exact butterfly (?) this morning and it flew away before I could do it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My favorite "A stranger comes to town story" tells about someone called Brattcat , who arrived here just one year ago ! :o))

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'd say The Great Unexpected is pretty high on the list...right up there with Tuck Everlasting.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think the butterfly is a Red Admiral ... I've been drawing tons of butterflies lately, and that seems right. I have no clue about the plant; I love the purple!

    Would Maniac Magee be a "stranger comes to town" story? That's up there on my list.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The butterfly is definitely a Red Admiral, like Sarah thought. A quick way to tell the difference between a moth and a butterfly is that moths have feathered antennae while butterflies' ones are straight. Moths do rest with their wings open while butterflies rest with theirs closed, but it's hard to determine from a picture--since butterflies flutter a lot.
    And I'd bet that the sprouts are either bleeding hearts or peonies. (I hope you post pictures of them in bloom, whatever they are!)

    ReplyDelete
  9. (I amend my former statement, after just peeking out at my own garden where I'd seen those same purple sprouts--they're hostas now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. We have the same butterfly here in Wisconsin—lots of them! I went to the back of our property and they were everywhere. I should have had my camera for that great photo op.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This young, brash kid stared out the dorm window in western NY as his mom and day drove off back to Maine. Was that a tear? Wipe it fast. His life was changed and so his friends in those next few years. Charlie felt a stranger touch him on the shoulder. He turned and he had vanished.

    ReplyDelete
  12. They're right. It is a red admiral. Looks similar to the painted lady.

    ReplyDelete