My ongoing attempt to find beauty in all living things was sorely challenged while poking around in my garden. You will recognize this character and its many billion cousins. Holding my camera in one hand and resting my arm on the compost bin allowed me to see the potential beauty in the light reflected off the wings. I suppose I should have taken another picture a few seconds later when my reflexes kicked in and something squished.
Finding beauty was greatly simplified when I stepped into the back alley and noticed a swirl of activity in the flowering Oregano.
This Small White Butterfly (I think that is the species) or Cabbage butterfly was busily flitting about probing the flowers with its incredible folding proboscis, visible in the second and third pictures. Get a load of those laser tipped antennae shining like little stars (well, perhaps reflecting off my flash but that’s not as poetic)
This long tailed beauty has yet to tell me its name. iNaturalist is working on it as you read this. iNaturalist is a great resource where you send in a picture and experts around the world give suggested names. Works for plants, animals and insects.
This rather large Bumblebee seemed a bit drunk on nectar or perhaps was tired from all the foraging. It just sat on this leaf and allowed me to position it and get close with my camera. When I was finished it happily flew back to a flower.
Up close and personal with this face only a mother could love. Still… it did spread pollen around.
Another waspy looking insect waiting for an ID.
If the smelloramma app is working it should kick in about now and you will be able to smell these delicate Sweat Pea flowers.
Close inspection will reveal next years Sweat Pea seeds just starting to swell in the pod.
Burr Oak trees are hardy, beautiful specimens that are the champions of a make work project. For two weeks at the height of summer they sit back and relax and forget to drop messy clean up debris. This one in our back yard has recently woken up and dropped the small top caps off these acorns, strewing sharp, poky, bare feet defying shards. Once these are cleaned up they will be ready to start chucking dry solid acorns at any unsuspecting passerby. I’m sure it is done in great fun with no intent to cause bodily harm merely another opportunity for clean up.
The Clematis flowers are nearly finished and have started making their signature seed pods ready to beautify fall and early winter.
2 Comments
Thanks Trent. That was really fun. My family were all particularly interested in the face of the bumblebee.
Exquisite!