butterfly — Page 4

Butterflies, Bees & A Little Adventure

August 9, 2021 at 9:40 am by Claudia

This little one was hanging around the garden all afternoon. He/she was quite skittish, so capturing this shot was a little miracle. He was on the small side – did he just emerge from his chrysalis? Last year’s adventures with a chrysalis were rare as they are almost always hidden somewhere on the property. I always check the bottom of the birdbath, just in case another caterpillar has decided to use that spot for his transformation. Nothing yet.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday and we are blessed with another gorgeous day today. After so much rain, this run of dry, sunny days is most welcome.

We’re going to take a drive today, headed north on the thruway to Hudson, NY. We went to Hudson, if you remember, to register Don’s ‘new’ car. Hudson is a charming old town, known for its antique shops. I had the chance to go in one while we were waiting to enter the DMV. But there’s a lot more to explore there and today seems to be the perfect day for it.

Congratulate me. I managed to talk Don into this little excursion today. Usually, he has something else he wants to do. By the way, he said he’d be willing to drive three hours to get that dollhouse but he wasn’t too enthused. I’m still thinking about it. I’m not sure if that particular house is the one I want…but I am in communication with the seller. And three hours one way seems daunting.

Heavens, the Olympics were just what we needed in this time of insanity. I’ll miss watching them. So grateful for all the stories and triumphs and tears and joy. Amazing.

Okay, my friends. I have to get moving.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Black Swallowtail

July 18, 2021 at 9:16 am by Claudia

This gorgeous black swallowtail hung around these coneflowers for several hours yesterday. Before the torrential rain came. As many times as I’ve seen them, I hadn’t noticed that the body had dots. Mother Nature is the best artist. Ever.

I’d like to thank this beauty for being so fixated on the flowers that I was able to get several photos.

We had unbelievable amounts of rain yesterday, starting off with a huge – and I mean huge – thunderstorm in the afternoon. It seemed to last forever, you could barely see through the sheets of rain, lots and lots of thunder and lightning. And then we had another one a couple of hours later – tons of thunder again. And then more heavy rain overnight.

I have had my fill, thank you very much. However, we have more in store today, so pardon me while I emerge from the cottage during the thick of it and let out a primal scream.

Mostly, I worry about mama robin. I mean, she had to have been bombarded by heavy, heavy rain. There she is, this morning, sitting on the eggs. The eggs, which, if I have counted correctly, should be hatching any minute. I pray for the safety of mama and her babies.

As Don said, she doesn’t look for praise, she doesn’t have any ego in it, she just does what her instincts tell her to do, and she is totally committed. Hero.

I started another Elly Griffiths but, as I read the first chapter which had some updates referring to what was the previous case, I realized I’d missed one of the books, as I’m reading them in order. I relied on a website which had the wrong information. Nevertheless, I will continue and then catch up with the book I missed.

I started another painting. I usually spend a couple of days trying to get the correct outline of the shape of that particular piece of pottery. After gazing at it this morning while having coffee with Don, I see that some tweaking needs to be done, so I’ll do that today.

Other than that, life is peaceful here at the cottage. We are content and at this point in my life, content is everything.

Thanks so much for clicking on Don’s bio! You’re the best.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Butterflies and Bees

July 16, 2021 at 8:52 am by Claudia

This guy was hanging around my coneflowers all morning yesterday. A beautiful great spangled fritillary. He shared the coneflowers with several bees.

There’s a lot of bee activity around here and I’m keeping an eye on the milkweed. I expect to see caterpillars soon.

This post will be short today because we have to mow and we have to mow early as it’s incredibly humid, there’s a heat advisory for later in the day, and we might get thunderstorms. As the next 3 days all have the same forecast, mowing can’t be delayed.

Mama robin has been sitting on her eggs for at least 10 days. I expect she will have her babies soon. (Another reason to mow the area surrounding her nest today.) Last night we were finishing up washing the dishes and the late day sun was illuminating her as she sat on the nest. Her very own spotlight. She deserves it. We are so honored to have a ringside seat and to observe this whole process up close.

I finished The House at Sea’s End, number three in the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. I have the next one in the series on order. I’m really enjoying the plots and I’m especially enjoying the characters and their development over time.

Had a great phone conversation with my best friend yesterday. We’ve known each other since I was 12 and she was 13. That’s a long time!

Okay. Have to go.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Butterflies, Bees & A Little Adventure

Black Swallowtail

Butterflies and Bees

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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