Monarchs

The butterflies and the butterfly bushes are not quite in sync with each other. The shrubs flower and flower, too early for the party guests they want to attract.  At least that is true of the monarch butterflies. I wait for their first appearance, a late summer fluttering of  wings edged in polka dots. Such a range of colors: pale peach, orange or the yellow of an old Italian villa. They settle onto the half-bloomed-out branches and enjoy the nectar from the remaining blossoms while I enjoy their flashy, fashionable wings.