Monarch Butterfly

Have you read Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary?  


You must!
There's a section when the main character goes to a butterfly grove, a place in California where the monarchs stop during their yearly migration.  He doesn't notice anything but what looks like little sticks... until the clouds move back, and the sun shines.  Then all the monarchs open their wings.  He's surrounded by orange as the thousands of butterflies silently fill the air.


I'm sad to learn that their population is diminishing.  I'm going to commit to do my part and plant some milkweed this summer.  That's the plant where they lay their eggs and that their caterpillars eat.


Enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of art pieces and vintage items) that features this little painting among many other pieces in a celebration of butterflies in art.  Click Flying, Floating, Fascinating... Butterflies.


"Monarch Butterfly" was done as a submission to the January challenge for the Paint and Draw Together site.  It's intriguing to see the many artistic variations on the same image.