Still Here

For several days, after her passing, a black and blue butterfly would often flit about me when I was outside.

I always felt a sense of recognition, and one of peace, in its presence.

That was last fall. I haven't seen any this spring, though I've been trying to pay attention.

Throughout my life, when I've seen butterflies, I only see the commonplace ones- the small ones that are yellow, or white. The orange ones that frequent my Passion vine and lay their eggs nearby for their larvae to feed on the vine once they hatch.

 This morning, I noticed Airlie sniffing intently at something on the back patio. My first thought was "frog poop". Honestly, we're quite accustomed to the dogs finding (and eating) frog poop, though I haven't yet seen any frogs at our new place. She just kept sniffing at it, though. Not pawing at, or trying to eat it.

I went outside.

This caterpillar grows into the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. You've no doubt seen the black-and-yellow ones. The males are black-and-yellow. So are the females, but with blue tails.

Some females, however, are dark:

She's still here, she's just in a different form, at the moment.