I am going to share something with you about these photos. I was walking to my mailbox the other morning to put a letter in to my sweet aunt. I went right past my newly planted butterfly bush and saw to my delight that there were about six butterflies skittering around the blooms. I was so surprised that within a matter of days, my new bush had attracted such a flock of butterflies.
I immediately ran inside to get my camera, hoping that they would still be there when I got back. As I approached the bush, they flew away to the lavender that is planted in the same row. I sat down quietly almost in the flowerbed, hoping that they would come back and they did. I must have taken twenty photos of the butterflies because I wasn't sure any would come out clearly. I sat and observed these beautiful insects as they flitted from bloom to bloom and noticed so many details about them. I am finding it is easier to remember what I see if I actually say it out loud. Hairy body, small wings, orange and black, dots underneath, long legs....anyone walking by would have thought I was a little nuts. But, it did make it easier when I came inside and pulled out the field guide. I confirmed what I suspected it was by doing a search online and looking at images.
Results:
Hylephila phyleus
Fiery Skipper
The zoomed in photo of his head makes me laugh every time I see it. He looks as if he is wearing sunglasses. Can you believe the shape and size of his proboscis? Amazing creature and I will never forget the morning sitting in my lavender, waiting for the butterflies to come back so I could see them.
What a great idea. I know I'm going to enjoy seeing your nature study blog. If only I could have kept up with my nature journal blog, but alas I'm not even keeping up with my regular blog right now.
ReplyDeletewhat a stunning creature! isn't God so good .... and a bit of a jokester, too! Yes, it sure does look like sunglasses on that little guy!LOL
ReplyDeleteI can just picture you sitting in amongst the plants trying to hide and be stealthy in hopes they think you're merely a mutation of a lavender plant. HAHAHA
have a great day my friend!
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI would not have guessed that to be a butterfly!
And...did you say letter? as in an envelope in a mailbox?!!
A lost art for sure!
Thanks for all the nice comments. It was a great experience.
ReplyDeleteKeri, I do still write letters but this one I typed and printed out. I prefer to handwrite my "real" letters for the most part but this letter is going to my elderly aunt who finds it much easier to read a letter that has been typed. She is currently living in a rest home and has never touched a computer to my knowledge. She is a dear, sweet part of my life that I am trying to still be a part of even though she is hundreds of miles away and sometimes is not mentally the same as she used to be. I dearly wish she either was in a home nearer to me or she could come and live with us. She is a retired school teacher and is a wealth of information about teaching things "the old way"..... very much Charlotte Mason or Anne of Green Gables. Sigh.
More than you wanted to know, I'm sure.
Barb