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Grandad's Butterflies - My Spring Fling Kidlit Writing Contest Entry

4/1/2021

40 Comments

 

via GIPHY

My favorite place in this big, beautiful world in the Coronado Monarch Butterfly Preserve. 

I've always dreamt of bringing my children to see the butterflies. But there is a HUGE problem: The monarch population has seen a 99.9% decline since the 1980s! This is due to climate change and deforestation affecting the growth of milkweed. Milkweed is where they lay their eggs and is the ONLY food for their caterpillars.

Luckily, these gorgeous invertebrates aren't extinct yet!

You can help the monarchs! Here's how: 
  • Try and plant as much milkweed as possible!
  • And, if you have the means, you can donate to the Xerces Society, an invertebrate conservation group. 

I wrote this piece with my monarch friends in my heart. I want my children and my children's children to feel the same flutter of joy I felt when visiting the thousands of butterflies at the monarch preserve.

​Together, we can save this species! 

Click here find out more about the Spring Fling Kidlit Writing Contest! 
Thank you to Ciara O'Neal and Kaitlyn Sanchez for hosting! :) 

Grandad's Butterflies
by Gennie Gorback
149 Words

Grandad could talk about butterflies for hours. I knew his stories by heart. 

He spoke of springtime visits to the monarch preserve. 
And of the near-silent fluttering of tens of thousands of monarchs, resting there before heading north. 
Grandad said the butterflies looked like confetti decorating the sky.  
He’d use my black and orange crayons to draw the wing patterns that danced in his memories. 

Finally, my footsteps crunched the same path my grandfather walked as a boy. 

I approached a clearing and prepared to be amazed.

Then--
        my arms drooped
                                      like
                                            broken 
                                                      wings. 

Where were all of the butterflies? 

There were some, but it wasn't like the photos on Grandad’s wall. 

Grandad was gone. His butterflies... disappearing. 

I wandered down the trail and collapsed onto the grass.

There, I found a milkweed plant. Tiny butterfly eggs dotted the underside of its leaves. 

Grandad’s butterfly story wasn’t over yet.

40 Comments
Jessica Hinrichs
4/1/2021 11:10:08 am

Love this sweet story, Gennie!! Well done! Always cheering for you! ❤️

Reply
Gennie link
4/1/2021 04:38:22 pm

Thanks, Jess! You're the best cheerleader!

Reply
Lindsey Hobson
4/1/2021 11:45:20 am

I have no idea why anyone would hate this story!! I still love it in a BIG way! ❤

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Gennie Gorback link
4/1/2021 04:39:06 pm

Thank you so much!

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Laken Slate link
4/1/2021 12:08:49 pm

Gorgeously sincere, Gennie! I love the confetti line, and the hopeful, sweet ending! This is fantastic.

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Gennie link
4/1/2021 04:39:59 pm

Thank you, Laken! Much appreciated! :)

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Anjali Amit link
4/1/2021 12:58:01 pm

Such a sweet story, both heartbreaking and hopeful.

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Gennie Gorback link
4/1/2021 04:40:40 pm

Thank you, Anjali! I choose hope! :)

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Charlotte Dixon link
4/1/2021 02:51:30 pm

Lovely and lyrical. Love the heart in this story. Great job!

Reply
Gennie link
4/1/2021 04:41:13 pm

Thank you so very much, Charlotte!!

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Elizabeth Barrett
4/1/2021 05:21:05 pm

This is bittersweet & lovely, and your visual details ("confetti" sky, "tiny butterfly eggs," "black and orange crayons") . . . Wow!

Reply
Gennie link
4/19/2021 10:53:09 am

Thank you so very much, Elizabeth! :)

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Roberta link
4/2/2021 11:09:08 am

I love how you made this so lovely and personal.

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Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 10:54:17 am

Thank you, Roberta! I appreciate it! :)

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Lakshmi
4/2/2021 12:46:56 pm

So beautiful and touching!

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Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 10:55:03 am

Thank you, Lakshmi!

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Sarah Meade link
4/2/2021 06:09:40 pm

This is beautiful, Gennie! I loved the word choices, lovely images, and hopeful ending.

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Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 10:56:06 am

Thank you for the kind words, Sarah!

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Janelle
4/3/2021 01:40:48 pm

Love it

Reply
Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 10:57:07 am

Thanks, Janelle! :)

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Amy Leskowski link
4/3/2021 05:52:27 pm

Love, love, love it!! My favorite is "Then--
my arms drooped
like
broken
wings."

This is gorgeous, heartfelt, and hopeful.

Reply
Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 10:58:20 am

Thank you, Amy! I appreciate your support!!

Reply
Beth Gallagher
4/3/2021 07:13:37 pm

LOVE it! Congrats on a great story. I really like stories that connect kids to the past through the present. :) Great job!

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Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 10:59:10 am

Thank you, Beth! Me, too! :)

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Connie Bergstein Dow link
4/4/2021 09:54:56 am

HI Gennie,

I love this story, with such beautiful images, and the message of hope and renewal at the end. Congrats and good luck!

Reply
Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 11:01:42 am

I appreciate the kind words, Connie! :) Thanks for stopping by and reading my piece!

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Kaitlyn L Sanchez link
4/4/2021 06:27:12 pm

Well done, what a powerful ending and inspiring story that many of can relate to. Thanks for sharing for the spring fling Kidlit contest!

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Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 11:03:10 am

Thanks for hosting the contest, Kaitlyn! It is so much fun! :)

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Becky Kimbrough link
4/4/2021 06:54:15 pm

“He’d use my black and orange crayons to draw the wing patterns...” The best! Nice work.

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Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 11:03:57 am

YAY! I am glad you liked that line, Becky! It was a last minute addition! :)

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Susan Elizabeth Schipper link
4/4/2021 08:29:23 pm

Lovely story! :)

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Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 11:05:16 am

Thank you, Susan!

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Angelina
4/5/2021 05:18:57 am

Lovely story. Brings back memories of beautiful caterpillars in my childhood. Well done

Reply
Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 11:06:25 am

Monarch caterpillars are the COOLEST! You're so lucky! :)

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Molly
4/5/2021 02:25:23 pm

I love the emotion you were able to include in this piece! You nailed this one! :)

Reply
Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 11:07:09 am

Thank, Molly! I couldn't have done it without my amazing CPs! :)

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Donna O'Donnell Figurski link
4/6/2021 10:21:00 pm

Gennie, sweet story! Love this image, "...butterflies looked like confetti decorating the sky." So vivid!

Donna O'Donnell Figurski
donnafigurski.com

Reply
Gennie Gorback link
4/19/2021 11:07:46 am

Thank you, Donna! :)

Reply
Ciara
4/20/2021 02:24:38 am

Genie! What beautiful language and words! Great job!

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Gennie Gorback link
4/25/2021 10:33:31 am

Thank you so much, Ciara! This contest was SO MUCH FUN!

Reply



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