It was a little late in nature’s calendar for the almost Harvest Moon, the full lunar disk closest to the autumn equinox, to be dominating the night sky on October 5th, but, if the astronomical authorities are still to be believed, there it was illuminating the evening. And there I was, telescope trained on our old satellite as it got steadily higher and higher in the sky.

But not long after moonrise at around six that day, I didn’t even need the scope to cast light on what I wanted to see: a remarkable collection of Monarch butterflies bedding down for the night.

The day had been insanely warm, with temperatures in the low 80s and a feeling in the balmy air that maybe, just maybe, summer would never end. This was delusional, I knew that, but I succumbed to it anyway and put down my wood

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