A MONTHLY REFLECTION WITH YOUR DIARY

The Diarists’ May Writing Prompt

What kind of April showers brought in your May flowers?

Photo by on

I have been hassled and harrowed by an unwanted guest recently. A caterpillar has been feasting since around March-April on my little Cranesbill leaves, mere weeks before the flowers come in. Gnawing through leaf after innocent leaf that I’ve spent hard keeping healthy, it’s built a cocoon around a singular leaf.

When flowering season came, my Cranesbill continued to grow, and still grows today. Caterpillars tend to leave a fine silk trail in their leaf, and as time goes on the silk tightens, unfolding the master weaver into its silken hibernation spot.

The very many chomped holes in my Cranesbill geranium.

At first, I was so, so angry. Why did this thing eat through my precious plant? I considered ripping the cocoon out, I was just so angry on her behalf.

But as I watched her unashamedly growing, while also giving the thing that ravaged her so a home to transform, to become better, I felt myself able to understand:

• We might be scarred by why we went through, but it doesn’t stop us from still…