Past Hydraulics. Common Blue Butterfly, Polyommatus icarus, on Tanacetum vulgare, Tansy, Océ-weerd, Meuse Corridor, Venlo, The Netherlands

'Not that it'll help me any, this Immortal Plant, Tansy... It's Autumn now, and I'm frayed unto death. But my old tubular heart is still in fine shape. The Sun isn't really hot enough anymore to evaporate water from my wings' veins. So heart doesn't actually have to work very hard hydraulically to keep up the venal haemolymph pressure of my wings for my flight from Sony. But I'm very grateful that it worked so well in Spring when I was creeping out of my cocoon into a dangerous world full of predators. In the Hot Sun my wings dried while my heart's pressure filled their veins with that stiffening life's elixir. Then happily I made for Enticing Nectar! My cup ran over.

But now - Winter almost upon us - it's really the last of the wine... And I'm losing some of my blue, too; good thing, that though. Maybe predators'll no longer be scared off, and death will be quick. Meanwhile there's that Sweet Stuff until I fall from the sky.'

Done