EARLY MORNING SURPRISE

July 18, 2022

　　This morning at the park was something very unexpected, and delightful to respond to! I'd been sketching things I saw in the pond--a frog in the lily pads, bulbs of flowers in the bushes nearby...when I noticed an unusually pretty insect on one of its leaves, seeming to groom itself. It was bright enamel green with folded red wings bordered in black studded in large golden dots.

 

It was actually this little guy I was looking at…

"You're so pretty! Can I take your picture?" I started clicking my shutter, hoping it wouldn't fly away, when I realized it stopped grooming itself and lifted one back leg high in the air, almost seeming to say, "You were drawing this flower--draw ME!"

"But you're so small! I wasn't drawing the FLOWER, just looking at it so I'd have something to draw into the surrounding--and you're even smaller than that!" Almost like a toddler who refused to hear "no" for an answer, it would not lower its leg. I felt silly talking to a bug, but said, "C'mon, you know I can't," and thought if I pretended to poke it with my pen, it would fly away. but it didn't budge. Gotta be kidding. I actually touched it, but it would not run away. I lowered the leg gently with the pen, but it just lifted it again. No--for real?!

I laughed at the insect for how it was acting and at myself for the ridiculously insane situation--no one would believe me if I said it happened. Two women who happened to be taking an early morning stroll through the park were walking behind me just then. Seeing the pen and notebook in my hand, they asked if I was researching something. It was the perfect time to show them the insect, even let them see me touch its leg and lower it, while it quickly raised it--did not fly away--and I told them about how I was sketching the flower but it seemed to want me to draw IT too, etc.

So I had witnesses! But that still wasn't enough; they might not be found later. So I took several more photographs of that insect. See?

 

But he wanted me to draw him too!

It's times like this I wish I had a good camera. As it is, it's only a cellphone, and a real old flip-phone type at that. the image is so bad... I came home and showed my husband right away. You'd think it was Disney or I'd drawn it or something. But honest, the insect raised its appendage and held it there!

I wonder if it considers me an insect, since my nickname is "Junebug"? Nah.... Besides, it probably doesn't even know that's my nickname.