Felt the wish upon her tongue to fly

[sovay]

This afternoon for the first time in decades, I was stung by a bee. Unlike its summer's coreligionist, it caught in my hair without a telltale buzz, so that I put up my hand to comb out a trapped leaf or twig and received instead a stinger in the pad of my thumb. I was able to pluck it out within surprised seconds since it stood out as clearly as a splinter, but I felt terrible about the bee. The pain had started to ebb by the time I got back to the house, but I took the second half of my walk with my thumb in a baking soda plaster. I was reassured by the sight of other bees in bushes of lavender and sunflowers.

In better news of the insect kingdom, the last two monarchs hatched in the late afternoon and were released by my niece, eagerly fluttering their stained glass wings to the sun.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

I'm sorry your destiny collided with the bee's, and delighted by the monarchs. I should get a butterfly icon.

[sovay]

I'm sorry your destiny collided with the bee's, and delighted by the monarchs. I should get a butterfly icon.

You should! You could draw one.

(Thank you.)

[osprey_archer]

So sorry you got stung. That's never fun.

The butterfly picture is beautiful.

[sovay]

The butterfly picture is beautiful.

Thank you!

(And thank you. It was less painful than I had remembered from childhood, but still startling.)

[sartorias]

It IS reassuring to see bees about their business.

[sovay]

It IS reassuring to see bees about their business.

I've been so happy to see them all summer.

[oracne]

Ouch!

[sovay]

Ouch!

It did hurt! I'm not complaining that it didn't hurt more! It did not, however, produce any worse effects than a slight swelling and today an itch in the stung place.

[chanter1944]

Ouch! Not fun. Been there, experienced similar; what I once thought was a strand of my hair trailing across my hand (not at all impossible, given length) turned out to be - OWWWW! a wasp. Ick! Poor bee, though. I'm glad to hear there were many others buzzing away in the flowers. Pollenation, go!

Yay Stripey the Seventh! I love the yearly monarch rearing and release your family does. Keeping up an endangered flutterby* population, a half-dozen friendly flutterers at a time.

*I'm in the habit of reversing this word more often than not, and it's a conscious thing. It circles back to my maternal grandmother, who knew just as well as I do that butterfly is correct but flutterby is whimsically amusing.

[sovay]

I'm in the habit of reversing this word more often than not, and it's a conscious thing. It circles back to my maternal grandmother, who knew just as well as I do that butterfly is correct but flutterby is whimsically amusing.

It's a tradition, like raising monarchs in summer.

[chanter1944]

It is indeed. :)

[thistleingrey]

Monarchs!

[sovay]

Monarchs!

I love that they have become a ritual of our summer.

[asakiyume]

I love about monarchs how the pattern of spots on their wings continues on their bodies. And yes, how beautiful they are when they catch the light!

Very sorry for both you and the bee!

[sovay]

I love about monarchs how the pattern of spots on their wings continues on their bodies. And yes, how beautiful they are when they catch the light!

These last two were substantial butterflies, too. I told my mother they had been raised well.

Very sorry for both you and the bee!

Thank you!

[gwynnega]

I am sorry about the bee sting.

What a beautiful photo!

[sovay]

I am sorry about the bee sting.

I feel worse for the bee than for me!

What a beautiful photo!

Thank you! Photogenic subjects.

[nineweaving]

Ouch! Last time I got stung, I was reading under a tree in flower (risky) and the poor guy attacked unprovoked. I felt sorry for him.

Gorgeous monarch! So glad your niece got to launch it.

Nine

[sovay]

Ouch! Last time I got stung, I was reading under a tree in flower (risky) and the poor guy attacked unprovoked. I felt sorry for him.

Sympathies all round. I had just gotten out of the habit of thinking about being stung. I literally can't remember it happening any time after high school, if so late.

Gorgeous monarch! So glad your niece got to launch it.

She had missed most of this year's clutch, so the last two were earmarked for her as soon as they emerged. They seemed cool with it.

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, I'm sorry about the bees sting! But, as I just said elsewhere, that is a beautiful pic of a beautiful (non-stingy) butterfly. ♥

[sovay]

Oh, I'm sorry about the bees sting! But, as I just said elsewhere, that is a beautiful pic of a beautiful (non-stingy) butterfly.

Thank you!

[a_reasonable_man]

I hope the bee sting feels better--and like you, I feel bad for the bee! I've had a couple of bad encounters with yellowjackets when younger, as has Lily, but I don't think I ever was stung by bee.

Although I disapprove of monarchy in general, I'm very glad to see more of these monarchs! And the photo is lovely.

[sovay]

I hope the bee sting feels better--and like you, I feel bad for the bee! I've had a couple of bad encounters with yellowjackets when younger, as has Lily, but I don't think I ever was stung by bee.

I memorably stepped on several in my childhood when the back yard of the first house I lived in was filled with clover. It happened a lot less often after our move. Now that there's so much more clover in my parents' yard, I suppose it could be more of a danger, although this time it happened while I was walking around the neighborhood.

Although I disapprove of monarchy in general, I'm very glad to see more of these monarchs! And the photo is lovely.

Thank you!

[genarti]

I was stung by a bee the other week, also for the first time in decades! Or possibly a wasp? I was walking under trees at night; I felt something land on my neck, an insect or a bit of bark or something, and reflexively reached up to brush it off; a sharp hot pain stung the pad of my ring finger, and I equally reflexively flung the bug away, so I couldn't say anything about its identity for sure.

It had been so long I actually had to google "what does a bee sting feel like" on my phone as confirmation. But ibuprofen and ice worked wonders; the pain was fading fairly rapidly and completely gone by morning. I hope it was a wasp and not a bee for its own sake, though. I don't think either of us wanted events to go down as they did!

Also: congrats to your niece (and all her adult helpers) on her successful monarch husbandry! That picture is gorgeous.

[sovay]

I hope it was a wasp and not a bee for its own sake, though. I don't think either of us wanted events to go down as they did!

Agreed! I'm glad it was not a serious event for you, although I begin to feel that brushing things off oneself in summer is more hazardous than I thought.

Also: congrats to your niece (and all her adult helpers) on her successful monarch husbandry! That picture is gorgeous.

Thank you!

[lokifan]

Poor bee and poor you! But they love lavender, I'm sure the majority are having a wonderful time.

I love that monarch photo! Glad they've all hatched.

[sovay]

Poor bee and poor you! But they love lavender, I'm sure the majority are having a wonderful time.

I will walk around the block and be reassured by their buzzing.

I love that monarch photo! Glad they've all hatched.

Thank you! Till next summer.

[adore]

eagerly fluttering their stained glass wings to the sun.

What a beautiful picture and description.

[sovay]

What a beautiful picture and description.

Thank you!

[regshoe]

What a lovely monarch <3 The moths I catch sometimes perch on my hands in the process of letting them go, and I always feel very fond of them.

[sovay]

The moths I catch sometimes perch on my hands in the process of letting them go, and I always feel very fond of them.

I'm so glad they do that! Are they a particular kind of moth?

[regshoe]

It's usually the large yellow underwings (Noctua pronuba) and lesser yellow underwings (N. comes) that do this—they're both fairly big and bulky moths, so I think they tend to be more reluctant to fly quickly than the smaller, lighter species, and prefer to crawl around a bit first. :)