I was out on the site last year (a 1000 acre prairie restoration), driving my ATV up and down, through the prairie as grass hoppers fly in front by the hundreds. I was out checking for certain flora exotics. Passing the marshlands I always try and count the great egrets and blue herons before they fly away. Usually the count is around 20+ great egrets and between 9-12 Blue Herons.
I stop at the top of the hill and glance around for the dickcissel whom I usually see on top of a metal post which is the only thing left of a house foundation. I hear his mechanical sounding call, but don't see him. Two golden warblers are chasing each other around...They're actually more likely to be finches, but I'll just say they're warblers. Very flighty.
I start up again and head down the hill. I look up to the sky and see 3 red tails looking for some something to eat. One of them gets a heat vent, and shoots higher, higher into the air. I take a sweeping right off the path into the flora where 30 or so barn and tree swallows eagerly begin their assault. Sweeping in front of my atv as I stir up bountiful insects. The robber fly attaches to my shirt...1. so he doesn't get run over. 2. he knows the swallows won't come near me. 3. He'll jump off my shirt, grab an insect, and come right back for the meal...The limping coyote also makes an appearance far off to my right. Shit. I don't come over this way too often. Hate to bother him. He's been around since we've been here.
--Whoa--
At first I seriously wonder if there's really a person dragging what looked to be a wagon behind him. They're about a hundred yards away. I don't see too many people out on my site. Especially out where I was. It looked like someone was riding in the wagon. How'd they get out here? I mean, you have to go over the hill, down the hill, through the swale/mud, and that's only half way to get to where he is. He waves largely at me. I'm skeptical.
I speed off to meet them...
"Hi," I said as I largely walking towards them.
The man has a scraggly white/grayish beard w/a ponytail. He's also wearing a hat you'd swear came from your neighbor Mrs. Klellen the gardener. There is a little girl he's pulling along in an old red wagon.
"Perhaps you can answer me something," he said with a slight lisp and eagerness. I continue walking towards them. "Where are all the butterflies?"
I breathe deep as I need to spell onto him what I have to tell every curious soul that comes up to me wondering what we're up to.
"Well, this is a restoration. It will take some time for our native plants to come up, and then the butterflies will thrive."
"Well I came here 3-4 weeks ago, and the plants were everywhere. As were the butterflies. Where are they?"
The sun was blaring, and it was hot. I didn't know what he was talking about, and was trying to configure how much time/energy I would want to spend with my guests. Everything out on a prairie is determined by energy efficiency. Even us.
Pondering this, I looked at the wagon and the little girl. I never really noticed particularly what she was doing. She was sitting indian style with her head down, and her arms out in front of her in the wagon.
She shoots her head up smiling while the man is still looking at me, and raises a water bottle in the air with one motion.
"I can't open this." The sun was in her eye as she cocked her head and squinted smiling.
The man who I now notice has pretty bad teeth, peered at me with his hand shielding his eyes waiting for an answer to his query.
I take the water bottle and open it, hand it back.
He spoke without waiting for me.
"I just don't understand how that's possible that there were butterflies, and now there are none."
I decide to tell him about our remnants where you can find some butterflys over on the other side. They can go that way I suppose.
The little girl laughed as she twisted the cap back on. She put her head back down.
"I can tell you where you can find some."
He looked at me with earnest.
"The place is back up and around. Follow the tree line all the way back west. You'll find what we call Prairie Pass, a place that looks over one of the marshes. You'll be able to find them around there."
Without saying much of anything else, he mumbles under his breath and began turning the wagon around.
He left for the area with the wagon wheels rambling along. I watched them for whatever reason for a while. Looked around for the tree swallows which were hunting somewhere else. I looked back as the girl pulled her head up and turned around. Waved to me. I started to raise my hand but didn't. Felt something tap my chest. I looked down and the robber fly caught a leafhopper. Nice I thought. I watched them until they went out of view around and down the hill.
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