Three chrysalises nestle on a leaf,
a trio of Taylor’s checkerspots, once

thought extinct. But, pupa by hard-
shelled pupa, the former caterpillars

wound into their spotted sheaths
busily go about the earnest business

of growing wings, of becoming
fliers, thanks to thoughtful humans

working to ensure their existence.
With luck they will eclose in spring

as full-fledged fliers to lay clusters
of up to 1,200 eggs, doing their best

to perpetuate their kind. That such a
tiny creature should matter in a world

losing species every day. That these
butterflies-to-be—gestating canaries

in the proverbial coal mine—will,
upon emergence, with urgent delicacy,

remind us of what is worth saving,
of delicate beauty so easily lost.