I’m always on the lookout for a beautiful butterfly! Here are some of my summer sightings.
“Divine creation can be seen painted on the canvas of a butterfly’s wing.’ ~K. D. Angelo
Summer sightings
nature
A Serene Scene
A walk along the boardwalk at the Grassy Island portion of the Reelfoot Lake Wildlife Refuge revealed a serene scene as a great blue heron stood statuesque in the shallow water, awaiting his next meal.
“There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.” ~Henry David Thoreau
Insects
I saw fewer insects in my flower garden this summer than I have in the past. The sweet autumn clematis and climbing milkweed vine, which usually teem with a variety of insects, seemed still and quiet. However, around the lake, the insects were more visible. Maybe because of the high heat and humidity that we’ve had, they, like me, have sought a cooler spot to pass the day away.
“How could this earth of ours, which is only a speck in the heavens, have so much variety of life, so many curious and exciting creatures?” ~Walt Disney
Barred Owl
Several evenings while out walking, I could hear the loud, clear call of a barred owl off in the distance across a field. This evening, I spotted a large bird soaring along from tree to tree on the road up ahead. I walked quietly to the last spot where I saw it land, and was excited to see its large eyes looking back at me through the branches.
“But the owls themselves are not hard to find, silent and on the wing, with their ear tufts flat against their heads as they fly and their huge wings alternately gliding and flapping as they maneuver through the trees …” ~Mary Oliver
Hovering around the flowers
Hummingbirds are attracted to the bright red color of the cardinal flower. From these delicate, trumpet-shaped flowers, the hummingbird receives sweet nectar. In return, the cardinal flower depends on the hummingbird for pollination.
Across the downs a hummingbird
Came dipping through the bowers,
He pivoted on emptiness
To scrutinize the flowers.
~Nathalia Crane
Venturing out
His presence given away by the clear, loud notes of his song, at first this little prothonotary warbler tried to stay hidden, moving about in the shadows of the low foliage at the edge of the lake. Eventually, his desire to forage brought him out into the open, as he actively hopped from branch to branch in search of insects.
Here, he ventured out to sun and preen himself on the boardwalk.
“Keep not standing fixed and rooted. Briskly venture, briskly roam.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Viceroy
We saw these viceroy butterflies flitting about in a garden close to the lake. Similar to the monarch in appearance, one way to distinguish the viceroy from the monarch is by the visible black line that runs across its hind wings.
“Butterflies … flowers that fly and all but sing.” ~Robert Frost
Swallows and water lilies
We drove to Reelfoot Lake to see the water lilies and got the added bonus of watching a swallow family that was hanging out around the water’s edge.
“In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
On their journey
Every spring, a flock of cedar waxwings stop by to feast on holly berries in our neighborhood. They are sociable birds, feeding cooperatively and often seen sitting together, lined up on tree branches early in the morning or late in the afternoon. After a few days, when the berries have been plucked from the bushes, the waxwings continue their nomadic journey in search of other food.
“Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.” ~ Izaak Walton
Winged things
A few of the “winged things” that I have taken photos of during the summer.
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” ~Leonardo da Vinci
walking on a country road 