Butterflies are coming soon, because there are spiny orange Gulf Fritillary caterpillars everywhere, almost full-sized at this point from eating the abundant sprouting passion vines that pop up all over after winter departs. If we get a decent rain, the vines will grow much faster than they can be defoliated by the caterpillars, and then they will begin blooming. Right now, the caterpillars look to be winning, but they will fall behind eventually. And after that, while the plants recover from their battle with these voracious creatures, the caterpillars will stop munching and quietly undergo transformation inside their “space capsules,” on their way to become creatures of flight.
By then, the passion vines, so named because the unique and complex purple and white flowers,with their fascinating structures that are traditionally said to symbolize Christ’s passion, will be blooming, and the butterflies and bees will be the beneficiaries of the sweet nectar. The flowers, fruit and leaves are edible as-is when green, or can be used to make a tea. In the old days people called the fruit, which resembles a pale green egg, “May pops.” When their sweet juice is gone and they start to dry, the fruits make a popping sound if squeezed or if stepped upon.
Like all good things, you have to be tolerant to fully appreciate this vine and benefit from it. Passion vine is adventurous, and comes up wherever it wants to - a true free spirit. It gets a banged-up look from its perpetual battles with caterpillars, yet is forgiving and generous even to them.
The Artemis crew witnessed an eclipse yesterday from the other side of the moon. They will be back soon, quietly returning in their capsule to a world of conflict, yet possibly one where a nearly 50 year old tyranny will be finally crushed and terror will be removed from the backs of its people. I remember in college my Persian classmate and friend, studying aerospace engineering in hope that one day he could return to his family suffering back in his homeland and be part of a reborn Iran. Right before Memorial Day he and some other students would go purchase and plant American flags on the graves of American Veterans. I wonder how many American college students today are so thoughtful.
He hadn’t been able to go back to Iran all these years because the regime would arrest and kill him. But now, there is hope that regime will die first. After graduation, he went on to work on what was then a budding US missile defense project that the press, of course, ignorantly mocked as science fiction. The press is still just as clueless, if not more so, than back then.
The first Apollo NASA mission - to do this maneuver, many years ago, did so on a Christmas week. How cool it is to be around to see the maneuver repeated by Artemis II on an Easter week.
It has been a blessed Easter for certain, a time of great change, great courage, great love, and hope. He is risen.