Battling the February Blahs with Great Spangled Glory

Great Spangled Fritillary

Hmmm, can I banish the February blahs with a glance back to the summer of 2013?

The temperature has dropped to a bone-chilling -25º Celsius with the wind chill factor. My car devoured the equivalent of a week’s pay in repair costs. The Maple Leafs have reached unexplored depths of futility. The 6:30 pm rerun of Corner Gas is the highlight of my day.

It’s official. I have the February blahs. The handful of charms Old Man Winter has in his arsenal have long lost their limited ability to inspire me.

I am impatient beyond measure for sultry summer days when the meadows are abuzz with nature’s winged angels. I would give a king’s ransom for the golden splash of sunlight of a Great Spangled Fritillary like the one at the top of this post.

I captured this stunning beauty on June 30th of 2013 at one of my favourite summer haunts. Great Spangleds are difficult to edge close to for a photo opp. But this one seemed inclined to pose for me. As I study this prized photo, the artistry of Mother Nature amazes me.

The graceful arch of the curved wings in repose, like hands cupped in prayer, and its lighter-than-air perch on a sprig of clover, a golden crown on a purple scepter, in the verdant canopy of ground cover.

Its molten gold garb embellished by wavering lines, wandering spots and subtle speckles of black and edged by the ticker-tape fringe of white and black. And hidden on the backside of the hindwing, silver dollar spots against a background of chocolate brown and delicate cream.

This random act of metaphor, a chance glimpse into the heart of nature’s artistry, is my metaphor of hope to sustain me through the remainder of my winter hibernation. My kingdom for an early spring!

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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