PHLOX IN VIBRANT SHADES of purple and pink, interspersed with occasional white blossoms, fill my flowerbeds. They thrive, their fragrance scenting the air that drifts through my office window.
Occasionally I spot butterflies flitting among the phlox, random milkweeds, wild orange tiger lilies, ferns and other unidentified plants growing in a tangled mess of wildness. I love watching them—the monarchs and the swallowtails—their wings flapping with such incredible grace. They swoop and dip and pause. As if dancing. As if performing. As if penning poetry.
Moments like this imprint upon me the importance of pausing to appreciate the beauty of nature. The details of a flower petal. The curve of a butterfly wing. The bend of a milkweed pod.
Now, more than ever, I need this connection to nature, these moments to reset. To see that, even as a pandemic rages, flowers still bloom and butterflies still fly.
© Copyright 2021 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I totally agree! It’s also interesting to see the difference in the number and types of butterflies from year-to-year. Ten to fifteen years ago my backyard prairie was filled with Monarchs and Swallowtails. Then I had a couple summers where I only saw 5 or 6. But numbers seem to be back on the rise, albeit slowly.
That’s so encouraging, to hear that butterfly numbers are increasing in your backyard. Thank you for sharing this and for caring about butterflies.
Your phlox is beautiful.
They are. I love how they fill and overtake…
I love both the tall and the creeping phlox. In each season they make such a pop of color.
I agree. The creeping phlox are beautiful also.
I love the wildness of the flowers popping up in the woods behind your house! And I’m glad you appreciate the healing they provide, by just being there for you. 😉
Thank you, Valerie. My paternal grandma’s gardens were always a wild mess. And that’s the style I like for my flowerbeds. Less work, too.
I love your flowers, so pretty! did you plant them all yourself?
The tiger lilies grow wild. The phlox came from a friend and just spread. Some consider them invasive, but I don’t and love my phlox.