If you think of me....

think of the butterflies.

I am going on a Holiday.
Bon voyage.
May your journeys be pleasant.

Butterfly Bush

I went to pick supper,
tomato sandwiches are what we eat in the heat.
My harvest basket was on the deck.


I looked down and saw the Red-spotted Purple
and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail sharing a branch of flowering Butterfly Bush.




I did pick tomatoes.
It has been a good year for them.
I have picked 120 since the 11th of July.

Perspective

The Eatern Tailed-blue is little.



The Buckeye is a little bit bigger.



The Monarch is medium sized.



The Tiger Swallowtail is large.

Butterfly Break

When I went outside to shake the kitchen rugs
I saw the Black Swallowtail.


I took a break from cleaning.

Morning Monarch

The Monarch was in the zinnias
when I went out to feed the birds.



I refilled the bird baths.
The dew was heavy on the grass.


Hot, humid and hazy, it is only 7am.

A Damselfly?

I saw this charming Damselfly in the zinnias.


Perhaps it is a Skimmer.
I do not know.
I only know this bug is lovely.

Dainty Sulphur

The Dainty Sulphur is so tiny.
Not even an inch across.


This one is even smaller than the Eastern Tailed-blue that was also nectaring in the Coreopsis.

Waylaid

The noonday sun was bright.
I changed lens on the camera.
I thought I would take photos of shadows.
Two female Black Tiger Swallowtails caught my eye.
They were in the zinnias and in the marigolds.




I had the small lens on.
I would have to approach slowly.
I would have to get very close up.
They did not mind.



The Snowberry Clearwings did not mind me either.
I did take a few shadow photos.

New Sunflower Moon

The New Sunflower Moon is tonight, 19th hour, 3rd minute EDT, to be precise.
My sunflower garden is growing tall. I expect blooms in a couple of weeks.
The bird planted sunflowers have been blooming all summer.



People talk about what they do.
I take pictures.
I do birds and butterflies, flora and fauna.
I am outside as much as possible.
I walk. I look at the sky.
I am a moon gazer.


I talk about light and depth of field.
I talk about birds and butterflies.
I talk about clouds, the moon and the stars.
I talk about the weather.



It is so very hot I cannot be outside very long.
I know it is the middle of August, in the Mid-west.
I know every August is hot and humid.
I want to talk about something else.
I want to talk about tomatoes and vacation.
Yet it is the heat I keep referring to.
It is the heat that I am seem to be doing.

Perseid Meteor Shower

The Perseid Meteor Shower
will peek tomorrow night August 12, 2007.
It will be the New Sunflower Moon so the skies will be dark.
Some shooting stars will be visible tonight if you can find a dark sky away from light pollution.

I want to go out into the country tonight.

We can put the top down and do some star gazing.

One, two, three

I was blog hopping.
I was having my popcorn treat.

I looked out the office window.
One, two, three Tigers!
I grabbed the camera and went outside.
No shoes.
Too hot on the sidewalk!
I sat down.
They flew all around me.
I was in Tiger bliss.
That was exciting!

In the shade

I have to stay in the shade today.
I have to drink lots of water.



I am in and out, refilling bird baths and checking the butterflies.
All seems fine.
It is me that is too hot.

It is me that has to go back inside to cool down.

The heat wave continues.
Forecast is for triple digits into next week.

I fixed a bowl of popcorn.
I can watch the birds and the butterflies from the office window.

Resting

I shall rest knowing all is well,
the milkweed is in bloom.
I shall dream of butterflies,
Autumn will be here soon.

Butterfly Dependent

It was too hot for me to be outside today.
By 4pm I needed to be with the butterflies.
Too hot or not!
I went outside.
I walked around the house.
I did not see any butterflies.

I sat on the front porch and read the mail.
I was disappointed.
I wanted butterfly time.
As I gathered my things in flew the Tiger Swallowtail.
He feed in the zinnias that are growing
in the front peony bed.

These are the seeds I planted in June.
The bed is almost in full shade.
I planted the seeds on a whim.
Zinnias like full sun.
Butterflies like sun.
Tiger nectared for ten minutes.

Once again I gathered my things.
Before I went inside I looked at these zinnias.
Giant Swallowtail had flown in.
He sampled each flower.

I walked out into the front yard and looked at these amazing flowers.
I felt so grateful to them and to the Swallowtails.
In flew Monarch.

Sixteen zinnias, three butterflies, one very happy lady.

I will save these zinnia seed. I will mark them "zinnias that grow in the shade".

Rain!

We waited until 10pm to walk.
It was still hot and humid.

While we were walking the wind shifted.
A strong northern wind began to blow.
The temperature began to drop.
Lightning was flashing in the north.
Rain was coming in.

I fixed a bowl of popcorn and sat at the back door.
I watched the lightning and listened to the rain.

Real rain.
Thank you.
I have missed the rain.

Hello

Who are you?

I met this bug yesterday.

Today he was in the Butterfly bush.
I do not know his name.

Walk about the yard

Every so often during the day
I will walk about the yard.

I stopped and watched
the female Tiger Swallowtail lay her eggs.

I watched the Gold Finches
eat Purple Cone flower seeds.

The male juvenile Hummingbird
really likes the zinnias.

Is it good

for the Butterflies?

I ask before I buy.
I check to make sure the plants will produce nectar.
Some hybrids are sterile.

I know my zinnia seed is viable.
I save my seed every year.
Seed to seed to seed.....
Easy.

It is good for the butterflies.
It is good for me.