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The Rainbow Butterflies LbNA #23121

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:May 24, 2006
Location:
City:South Colton
County:St. Lawrence
State:New York
Boxes:1
Planted by:Wyvern
Found by: The Gearheadz
Last found:Sep 18, 2011
Status:FFFF
Last edited:May 24, 2006
My brother was driving home. He was up for a visit from his home in Bennington, VT with his son, Adam. He had driven the route many times, up through the Adirondacks, from Saratoga to Warrensburg to Tupper Lake. From Tupper Lake, he took Rt. 3 until it hit Rt. 56. Now, he was really on his way home.

Adam was good all the way. Not too much complaining, not too much stopping and a lot of napping. My brother hoped he’d be so good for Gramma and Grampa. The trip had been uneventful, no real wildlife in the road, just a couple of turkeys, but no deer. That was a good thing. But as he hit 56, he noticed a detour, and he grumbled to himself. He wasn’t really familiar with the back roads up here. But he turned nonetheless and followed the designated route that would take him around the flooded out S-curve so close to South Colton.

“Well, Adam, looks like we’re on a little detour.”

“Calm down, Daddy, calm down.”

“I am calm, Adam. We’ll just have a little adventure, huh?” My brother gazed into the rearview mirror to gaze at Adam and smile.

“Yeah, Daddy, we’ve got to save rocket.”

My brother nodded. Adam just loved to quote all his DVD’s and his current favorite was Little Einsteins.

As they drove along, my brother noticed that they were quite close to the Raquette River, the same river that Adam liked to play in behind Gramma’s house. Ah, he thought, he was up near the reservoirs. “Look Adam, there’s the river that goes to Gramma’s house.”

“Gramma?” Adam began to watch the water move by the car and pointed. “Gramma’s house?”

“In a little bit.”

My brother soon came upon a large open area. A huge cement slab that might have once been a foundation sat right in the middle of it. He noticed BBQ grills around its perimeter, probably a picnic area. As they approached it, Adam called out, “Butterfly!” He pointed wildly to the window. “Daddy, stop. Butterfly! Butterfly can help rocket.”

My brother slowed down the car and saw a parking area right next to the picnic area that went right down to the water. So he drove down the gravel driveway and faced a large stretch of calm water. To the left, he could see the top of the dam. He read the signs and realized this was a canoe/boat launch area for the reservoir. “Adam, this is Rainbow Reservoir.”

“Rainbow.”

“Let’s throw some rocks in the water.” My brother needed a break and he didn’t want Adam to fall back asleep so close to their destination or he’d be grouchy. He unbuckled Adam from the car seat and they began to walk around and toss rocks in the water.

“Butterfly.” Adam said as he pointed to another insect fluttering past. My brother saw it and wondered what kind it was. It was not the typical Monarch he was used to seeing up here.

“C’mon, Adam, let’s go look.”

Adam followed his father toward a small spring that flowed into the reservoir on the right. He pointed again to the butterfly as it fluttered over the stream to the opposite bank. Adam fearlessly followed. “C’mon, Daddy, we’ve got to help rocket.”

My brother tried to grab him but it was too late. Adam had already slogged across the shallow water to the other side. My brother found a couple of stepping stones and followed Adam across calling to him to come back. He saw a large rock in front of him and moved around it on the left. He looked in that direction to see Adam crouched down by a multi-trunked tree. Or maybe it was a small colony of trees. Some of them were broken and bent by the Ice Storm of ’98. My brother approached Adam and looked where he was looking among the many trunks.

Adam shushed his father as he knelt down with him. He pointed to the two delicate insects resting on the fallen leaves and bark. Adam smiled and whispered to his father, “Look, Daddy, rainbow butterflies.”