They don't look before crossing the street

Wow--there must be millions of little orange Monarch butterflies in the Bay area right now! The boys report they've been seeing them all week, but it was only today that my attention wandered far enough from my computer screen to notice them. (Note to self--when you get confused by why your cursor won't leave the bounds of your computer screen to mouse over the dates on your paper calendar, it is time to take a break)

On our way to and from (OK, to be honest, I didn't even notice them on the way TO), the movies, we saw hundreds floating across the road, sky, sidewalk. It was kind of like going to one of those butterfly pavilions at nature preserves, where you walk through the plastic strips in the doorway--you know, the same ones they hang on dairy cases at the grocery. Except the butterflies are floating around the whole county, not just one big room.

They seem to be migrating North, and they are just beautiful! And they float across the road at all heights, across the windshield, above the car, and even headlight level. I tried to drive slowly and carefully on the neighborhood roads to avoid hitting any. The people behind me sure appreciated that from all the honking! I complained to Barley about the buttterflies not looking before they cross the road, and he very patiently explained to me, "Mom, the wind is blowing them too fast, they can't help it!" So wise, he is.

I am trying very hard not to think about all the eggs they must be laying, the caterpillars that will hatch, and all the damage that caterpillars can do to new plantings. Nu-uh--just thinking about the positive right now and how beautiful they are!