Butterflies Vanish Into Freedom

It was a perfect day for butterflies: sunny but not too hot, crisp and clear with fall touching the secret garden.  I took Butterflies to the garden by bus, and the moment their wings felt the sun they opened at rest for the first time in their lives.  I wanted to take a photo of their leaving the safety of the netting, but when I opened the top they fluttered out. When I turned to look back they were gone.  The third one sat a moment on the edge and vanished away.  Split Wing, the last butterfly, was last to think of leaving.  Finally, it too fluttered away as gracefully as any and went away in a peaceful flutter.

Their photos here are when they are still resting on the bottom in their netting home.  Each took a last nourishment for its journey, a final sip from the orange slices and blossoms filled with sugar water.