Flutter By

I was setting some plants in my flower garden when a beautiful butterfly 

decided to check out some nearby blooms...

Spicebush Swallowtail

Brief Season of Liatris Spicata

For a few weeks the lavender colored blooms of Liatris spicata attracted all sorts of insects to my back yard garden.  Butterflies and bees particularly enjoyed it.  I grew these plants from corms then transplanted them to my garden during early spring.  They grew rapidly and required little care. Little did I know that the field across the road would be full of Liatris spicata blooms!  I may just dig some of those plants up and bring them to my garden next year.  

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope your summer is going well. 

It's been a busy, busy one for me- I need some time off to catch my breath!

Butterflies & Oriental Lilies

May you have a beautiful day, wherever you are.

Butterfly Love

It was a super busy but wonderful weekend.  My plans went as expected, just not in the same order. Saturday was shopping and visiting with family while Sunday was yard work- well, some yard work. I'm so easily distracted from gardening and outdoor chores when there's wildlife activity going on around me.  Like Sunday when I noticed a couple of Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies courting- I stopped what I was doing to observe their behavior (the first time I've seen butterflies courting).

The two of them fluttered across my back yard, making brief stops along the way.  When the female rested upon a flower, the male fluttered just inches above her. In a rhythmic display of wings and attraction, the butterflies ascended in circles around each other, drawing closer to a pinnacle where their wings lightly touched.  The female then retreated and flew away with the male close behind her. Their typical courting behavior went on for several minutes before they both suddenly disappeared. Perhaps they ventured off into the woods for more privacy...

This was a pretty neat "nature lesson"- I enjoyed watching their beautiful wings rapidly flutter back and forth and their aerial dance just above the flowers.  Please excuse the blurry photos- I forgot to put my camera setting on "Action".  

I hope you enjoyed this series of courting butterflies :)    Wishing you a wonderful day!

To a Butterfly

I've watched you now a full half-hour;

Self-poised upon that yellow flower

And, little Butterfly! Indeed

I know not if you sleep or feed.

How motionless! - not frozen seas

More motionless! and then

What joy awaits you, when the breeze

Hath found you out among the trees,

And calls you forth again!

~ William Wordsworth, "To a Butterfly"

Identity of Butterflies:  1.  Common Buckeye  2.  Cloudless Sulphur  

 3.  Variegated Fritillary   4.  Spicebush Swallowtail 

Another Spicebush Swallowtail

This one, which I believe is female, is smaller...her wings perfect, 

untainted by life's mishaps.

Spicebush Swallowtail

August 2014

Spicebush Swallowtail

With wings worn and tattered, 

she still emanates beauty.

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly, Female

Photos from July 19, 2014

Azaleas, Bees & Butterflies

There are beautiful living things that are here for us to enjoy only a little while.  They grow into beauty and perfection, summon our attention and heighten our love for spring. then...they gently fade away.  Why is that? What lesson have we to gain from such temporary joy? It seems some of the most beautiful of His creations are destined to oblivion all too soon.

On the other hand, would we appreciate such beauty if it lived forever?

There are many wonderful memories that surround early spring with its Azaleas in full bloom.  Old photos remind me of long ago Easter Sundays, when our daughters were dressed in pinks, purples and whites with their lacy socks and hats.  They posed for photos, standing near or in front of the colorful Azaleas, usually with their Easter baskets near.  Photos of our daughters standing close to each other, or all three of our children together, or the three of them with their PawPaw before going to church, or with Me in my Sunday dress.  Sweet memories....

Not only are Azaleas beautiful while they last, but they serve an important purpose- their pollen provides nourishment to bees, butterflies and other insects.  Although Azaleas bloom only for a short while, the adult trees usually bloom profusely, depending on weather conditions.  They produce a significant amount of pollen, therefore, they provide a huge boost to growing insects.  

Butterflies are destined to short lives too.  Most butterflies live from about 2 weeks to one month.  However, there are a few species of butterflies that live from 6 months to a year, max.  It's sad, but a part of the scheme of life and nature.  We must enjoy beauty while we can...here today, gone tomorrow. 

Love the beautiful things that are free.  Appreciate the harmony of nature.  

Look. Listen. Feel.