Dancing Flowers

Enjoy!!! --LKR

A Strange Summer, So Far...

This has been a really strange summer, to say the least. The locals agree. If it hasn't been wet and rainy, it's been cool and windy. Today's high was only 68 degrees!!! We haven't had to use the air conditioning at all, so far!

Trees bloomed and leafed out later than normal, this spring, but the melodious croaking of frogs seemed to be on time, in spite of the late April snowfalls. --Yes, that's plural!!!

It was also shocking not to see our lilacs swarming with several species of butterflies, especially the emigrating red admiral and American painted lady. Our sweet smelling mock orange bush, also a butterfly magnet, has surprisingly drawn very little outside of the various bees.

But, the flowers are blooming, the grass is once again green, and in spite of the drop in butterfly sitings, I'm finding eggs on their specific host plants. To see photos of butterflies, moths, and caterpillars, check out the posts on my leps blog at: http://lezasleps.blogspot.com/ --LKR

They're Back in Town!

My friend Wynde and I were finishing up on a leisurely lunch when we spotted a beautiful male ruby- throated hummingbird at our feeder. I had set out nectar shortly before we had that last fling of wintry weather that dumped upon us a significant amount of snow.

Then, while out on a walk, we saw around 10 cabbage white butterflies. Checkered whites and mustard whites also fly in our northern climate. White family butterflies over-winter in the pupae stage and are one of the first to emerge, come spring.

Several spring azures, tiny blue butterflies, flitted along the country roadsides around our feet. The first generation of this early emerging butterfly are darker blue in appearance than successive generations.

Why the picture of dandelions, you ask? They are among the few early flowering perennials that are essential for bees and butterflies which bloom before lilacs and mock orange bush, both magnets for these and other hungry insects. --LKR

More Signs of Spring

Lovely crocus in greater numbers than the year before brighten the day!So far, the rabbits and deer have spared these tulips... !Mole and mice tunnels and holes are revealed after the snow and ice have melted.

Several of these little beetles were scurrying around on the ground throughout our yard. When I was younger, I used to love to play with them! Fess time: I still do!!!

A flock of geese flying up above. A raptor, probably a red-tailed hawk, was later flying around, too. Sandhill cranes also flew overhead, this afternoon! A few weeks ago when we were in Chicago, I saw a flock flying way up high as we were driving into the city.

This is the second hummer's nest in the three and a half years we've lived here that I've found in our low growing, fragrant mock orange bush. Mock orange is a super butterfly magnet in the spring, as are lilacs!

A very skinny robin in search of food among patches of snow.

--LKR