Beautiful Butterfly

The coneflowers continue to attract new butterflies everyday. Today, this very regal swallowtail came to sip the sweet nectar. He wasn't shy, but did play hard to get with me for quite a while. As I would come close with my camera, he would vere away then fly upwards and next fly around the cabin hoping I would be gone by the time he returned to the flower bed. Finding me still there, but with the draw of the coneflower ever strong, he'd come in for another landing and flit from flower head to flowerhead and then repeat the whole cycle again.

After performing this routine several times, he must have come to the conclusion that I just wasn't going to leave and conceded with an "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" attitude, letting me get close enough for shot after shot. At one point he was so close to my camera that he bumped into it, but that still didn't deter him from going about his own business.

I love the striking pattern and vibrant colors of the swallowtail. In the second photograph, you can get a glimpse of the probocis (especially if you left click on the image to enlarge it for greater detail).

Butterfly Magnet

My coneflowers are in full bloom. These native flowers stand sturdy and tall. Despite the hot, dry summer we are experiencing, they are flourishing. Coneflowers are a particular favorite, and not just of mine. Butterflies almost magically appear when their showy blooms open. Yesterday, I witnessed at least four different varieties of butterfly alight upon the flower heads. Unless disturbed, the butterflies linger on and on, drawn by the flower pollen. On close inspection, you can see their long probocises probing the dense seed heads for the nourishing nectar which must be especially tasty to the butterflies. The sight of these brightly colored, delicate winged creatures inspired my latest attempt at a water color painting.

Still a work in progress, this painting shows an Aphrodite Fritillary butterfly sucking up the pollen from a large, pale pink petaled coneflower, seeking to get it's fill of the sweet, energy providing nectar. The pattern of this butterfly was so detailed and was a fun one to paint. I hope to "capture" some of the other kinds of butterflies that frequent the coneflowers and paint their portraits, too.

Happy Summer!

Today marks the summer solstice, longest day of the year and the first official day of summer! All around us are the signs of summer, too. The wild blackberries are full and ripening, the hummingbirds buzz back and forth hungrily sipping at the feeders, fireflies are twinkling brightly at night, and, in this part of the country, the temps and humidity are sweltering. It's definitely t-shirt and shorts season!

The return of the perennial day lilies is such a beautiful sight this time of the year. I love seeing these stately flowers growing en mass along the roadsides here in the country. The woodland trails in the woods I played in as a child were lined with day lilies. Just the sight of these bright orange blossoms brings back treasured memories of those long-ago summer days spent enjoying and exploring those woods.

The first poem I ever published was an ode to summer and I'll share it here.

Happy summer to all!!!

SUMMERS DAY AGAIN

Shining eyes on sparkling morn,

Jewels of daisies fields adorn.

Sprinkles and drops of morning dew,

Rainbow bright, so full of hue.

Fields abound with life a buzz,

Toads, mulberries, moth wings fuzz.

Sky so deep and stars so bright,

Dancing fireflies now in flight.

Quiet the field, cool the earth,

Dawn will bring new rebirth.

Our Wedding Anniversary

On June 14, Kevin and I celebrated our first Wedding Anniversary. We've been together about five years now, but our days of wedded bliss number just a few over the one year mark. Even though our first year was full of health challenges, we faced them together and came out all the stronger as a couple because of them. What an incredble gift to be sharing life with your soulmate, your true love, someone who inspires you to want to be your very best! We both were so happy to find each other and combine our solo journeys into one shared by two.

Kevin gave me a beautiful vase to mark the special occasion of our first anniversary, which you can see in the photograph above. The blues in it match the cornflower blue color of my wedding dress. I gave Kevin a hand tooled leather journal with the Tree of Life on the cover. We were tickled to find we both chose gifts with tree motifs for one another. We both love trees and our cabin is surrounded by them. Both of us are also dedicated members of a group that aims to help preserve our local forests.

It seems only fitting that I end this blog with a photograph of a tree...a lovely pink magnolia tree in full bloom. It could very well be the type of tree that inspired the artist who hand painted the design on my beautiful anniversary vase.

Calvert Cliffs

Over the Memorial Day Weekend, Kevin and I took a day trip to Calvert Cliffs State Park, noted for its towering red-colored cliffs that run along a portion of the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The stretch of beach in front of the cliffs is an excellent place to search for fossils and sharks teeth among whatever mix rolls in with the bay surf. The cliffs themselves are now off limits to the public, in an effort to prevent erosion.

To access the beach area, park visitors follow a windy trail through the woods for approximately two miles. Despite the heat of the day, the trail was shaded by tree cover, so it was comfortable walking. A narrow stream paralleled the hiking path, its tiny waterfalls adding sparkle.

On route, we passed a large pond where we saw a crusty, old snapping turtle eager to catch a small blue gill for lunch. A school of blue gills, as well as a lone, larger-sized bass, glided through the murky shallows. Further on down the path, we spied a tiny, metallic colored skink that scooted out of our view into the understory. We also got a glimpse of a young black snake as it lazily essed across the trail.

The woods were a mix of hardwoods and pine...and some of those pines were huge! In the photograph above, you can see evidence of the feeding habits of the yellow-bellied sapsucker in the rows of holes left behind after its excavation efforts for insects within this sap-laden pine tree. We didn't see the sapsucker, but we were very fortunate to catch sight of an uncommon red-headed woodpecker atop an old snag, so named because its entire head is covered with bright red feathers.

Before reaching the beach destination, we passed a series of swamps, vast areas of lily pad covered still waters alive with the chorus of chirping frogs. Brightly colored tiger swallowtail butterflies criss-crossed the water, fluttering in between the old tree stumps and new greenery.

Finally, a glimpse of the beach and the cliffs beyond. A group of boys search for sharks teeth among the surf. When we arrived at the shore, it was high tide and the beach area seemed very small. It was such a nice holiday weekend, so what beach there was was packed with people all eager for an early taste of summer mixed with a bit of adventure.

Scenes from Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg is a fascinating place to visit, steeped in history and with so much to see and do. Kevin and I traveled to Virginia in the early part of the week and toured the historical town. One of our first stops was a folk art museum that housed colonial period furniture and furnishings as well as many other objects of folk art. In the photograph above, Kevin curiously scans a carousel with two horses, a goat and a giraffe.

Old-time taverns are the place to go for a good, hearty meal in Williamsburg. I liked the ambiance created by the light streaming in the window of this simply furnished tavern. Tavern staff dress in period clothing and offer tidbits from the past. Our waitress informed us that the salt on our table would cost more than the meal in colonial times. Ordering an open bowl of salt to be placed on your dining table was considered to be a sign of wealth and social standing.

The main corridor of the colonial town is lined with a mix of period homes, shops, and tradesmen demonstrating their particular crafts. Above, a woman in colonial style dress demonstrates basket making using white oak splints. She explains that now that her basket is woven, she will attach a handle. Baskets were a common means of carrying and storing goods in colonial times.

One of my favorite features of the colonial town are the many gardens interspersed here and there. The bright orange blossom above is a pomegranate flower. The fruits of the pomegranate are dried and make a popular winter holiday decoration.

This final photograph gives you a look at a lovely cottage garden with foxglove flowers standing tall in shades of pink, lavender, and white. The A-frame home in the background is typical of those that line the streets of town. In addition to the various gardens, there are many mature trees lining the streets and adding to the beauty of the historic town. My favorite of these is the tall southern magnolia with its saucer-sized, fragrant, vanilla white flowers.

And...they're off!!!

Gardening season has begun! The front porch flower boxes are planted, and they've already attracted butterflies eager to check out what's new and what might offer some sweet nectar.

A closer look at the frilly Dianthus flowers, part of the assortment in the flower boxes.

The herb boxes are coming along nicely!

The vegetable garden

A variety of pepper plants line the back row, a row of yellow beans is in the middle and a row of green beans stretches across the front. The lone tomato plant sits in back in the white pot. Kevin doesn't like tomatoes, so I plant just one tomato plant each year and usually end up with plenty for me. I love them...there's nothing like a fresh, vine-ripened tomato - it tastes like a little bit of sunshine :)

A bean seedling's heart shaped leaves

We're looking forward to another good yield of fresh veggies this summer. Last summer's beans and peppers kept us going until fall. It's amazing that all it seems to take to get your garden growing and producing is good soil, sunshine, and water...plus a little loving care!