Mulberries and Monarchs

Each year I plant an herbal garden very near a stand of mulberry trees and every Spring when they're in bloom they attract butterflies and honey bees. This morning, as I tended the sweet basil, a young Monarch landed close to my hand. Then, a cloud of them swirled around me, and flew back to the mulberry trees to land. For that moment I dared not move an inch, mesmerized by the wooshing of their wings. It was so memorable, that I'll never forget. Their humming was like a song Nature sings. I watched them flutter. Thirty, maybe more before clinging on to leaves of vibrant green. Their bold colors of black, orange and gold looked just like petals as I watched them glean.