Every year we take our kids to the butterfly release at the Leslie Science & Nature Center in Ann Arbor, where for only $5 you can release a monarch butterfly into the wild. This involves slowly opening an envelope and encouraging the butterfly to wake up and find its first flower on its 2000-mile path to central Mexico. My kids love it. The butterflies are docile once they get cold, and though I have no idea how the science center gets the butterflies into the envelopes, they seem just fine with the whole thing.
You can track them as they migrate. Each butterfly gets a sticker (which we are again assured the butterflies are totally cool with). Ours are # AJAJ 361, AJAJ 366, and AJAJ 362 on monarchwatch.org. You don’t need to track them yet—they’re all still in the parking lot behind the science center in Ann Arbor. Ours ambled out of their envelopes in a hurry to go nowhere. It takes them two months to migrate south and four generations to return. We learned today that monarchs are now endangered, as their populations have decreased 80 percent in the last ten years. They only really like to eat milkweed, and there’s not enough milkweed to go around.
About five years ago at the same launch event, some lady assured me that “even a one-wing butterfly can make it to Mexico.” I’m a naturally gullible person and I took it at face value. I cannot imagine a one-wing butterfly making it 2000 miles. It’s hard for a two-wing butterfly to fly with any sort of purpose but I guess nature finds a way.
I think about this one-wing butterfly at least once a week. Out there somewhere in the American south only making left turns. How many of us think yes, I too am incapacitated at 50 percent and bumbling around this world and aiming for something far off. And I too can get there through belief and ignorance and grit. I’ve taken much solace in this butterfly.
Today I learned that in no way can a one-wing butterfly get to Mexico. A different, very authoritative lady at the event today told me it had zero chance—it would be dead in a day. I could google this, but I refuse to. I don’t want to lose this story. I want to believe.
In an effort to plant some literal milkweed in the world, I’m bringing back the art charity auctions that I ran during the early stages of the pandemic. Back when Instagram showed my work to people, I would post a piece and then the highest bidder over the course of a week would get the piece sent to them. People have asked me to resume them, and I want to use my work to do some good in the world. I’ll try to include one in my next posts as well.
The rules are the same here—bid in a comment below your offer. Increments of $50. Highest bidder Sunday, September 15 at 9 p.m. EST gets it. Please don’t try to Ebay this and bid it up at the last minute—just look where the bid is and put your max bid below it. U.S. Shipping only—international rates are killer at the moment, and I only have one wing.
This week’s piece is S&S&S&S in light blue 12" x 12" x 1" and 50 percent of its proceeds will go to the Pollinator Partnership, whose mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research.
xo
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I’m writing from Australia. This is one of the most beautiful substacks I’ve read in awhile. Even at 4.26am. A very lovely way to wake up.
I love your support for this charity. I too have auctioned off my art for endangered species. (Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinction in the world) it’s been awhile so you’ve reminded me that it’s probably time to do it again. Thank you.
$300 (yay, I found it! …the page)