Why Coneflowers Wear Crowns — All morning, while the grass made hush-hush sounds against her ankles, Nella tried to count the points on the tallest coneflower’s middle. Read the full story →
All morning, while the grass made hush-hush sounds against her ankles, Nella tried to count the points on the tallest coneflower’s middle. She had set herself one little challenge: reach the last point before the crickets tuned their evening legs. The dome smelled warm and dusty, like sun on a seed basket, but every time she counted past thirty, a breeze wiggled the petals and stole her place.
A butterfly drifted in with wings like orange paper windows. It circled once, twice, then settled so gently that the cone did not bend. Nella held her breath. Under the butterfly’s feet, each little point lifted higher, as if wanting to hear a secret. “Stay still,” Nella whispered, “I’m almost there.”
But the points kept rising, row after row, until the middle was no longer a bump. It was a tidy, prickly crown for visiting wings to rest upon. Ever since then, coneflowers have worn raised crowns, and if you can find the butterfly’s quiet perch, you may lose your count in the hush-hush grass too.
