So there she was, as the day drew to a close, tucked in a patch of African blue basil in our pollinator garden.
She was barely visible, but the European wool carder bees, leafcutter bees, honey bees and syrphid flies knew she was there.
"Our patch! Our patch! Our patch!" The permanent residents boldly brushed up against her, telling her to "shoo, go away." She took the hint, fluttering away and touching down on a nearby rose bush.
She? The eighth monarch we've seen in our garden so far this year.
Ms. Monarch did not lay eggs on the milkweed as the other seven had. In fact, she ignored the milkweed.
She clung to a rosebud, her iconic coat of many colors now visible to all.
After a 15-minute stay, Ms. Monarch took flight, briefly circling the area, then finding a temporary home on a nectarine tree.
She graced us with her presence. Her presence was a present.
And then...the iconic coat of many colors vanished. Gone.
Her species perhaps gone, as well, to future generations.
Cover image: Monarch touching down on a nectarine tree. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)