Flying Flowers

This first picture is of a sulphur butterfly that just came from its chrysalis. It sat on my lap for quite a while as its wings unwrinkled.
I don't know this one's name, but it sat for a long time on this bright pink zinnia.

The lawn is covered with the little white peacock butterflies, but they also love the zinnias and the lantana.

I've noticed the gulf fritilarias now love the red pentas.- Before they spent most of their time on the lavender lantanas.

November 11, 2007
Its been so long since I've written anything about my 'garden' that my fingers and thoughts are 'stuff'. I have several years back issues of a favorite gardening magazine.. Country Living and Gardening. A favorite because the flowers in each picture are identified and include zone hardiness...a boon for a northern transplant.

As I looked through a well worn issue, the gardens in my favorite blogs came to mind.. I've mentioned to 'Alice' (http://heathhill.blogspot.com/) how I love her style of gardens.. Cottagy, but not unruly - my favorites. Looking at old archives with many pictures of her gardens inspire me more than those magazines.. and that's saying a lot!.. Thank you..

Also on my list would be Carrie's (http://colorsofthegarden.blogspot.com/) gardens. The colors of the garden, the familiar flowers.. and those flame colored fall hills bring me back to many years past.

I've been awestruck seeing the scope of Sigrun's gardens (http://hillsidegarden.blogspot.com/) In the beginning I'd only seen vignette's with close ups of various flowers - beautiful, but I had no idea how large an area she had filled with beauty.

We're about to go into our winter period - a wonderful time for colder hardy varieties - Nights have dropped to the 50's and days seldom get to 80. Much easier on so many plants. I have only tomatoes in pots ready to grace the winter table. Many packages of seed wait hopefully for someone to put them together with soil to see what they can accomplish!

I contemplated a while back whether I want gardens so I can take photos... or love photography because I love flowers.. Its still pretty much an unanswered question but I think I have a clue. My camera is very low resolution and I'm always disappointed in the quality of the pictures - so haven't taken nearly as many recently. I also gave away my car - we're both retired and foolishly I thought I didn't need my own anymore.. Foolish foolish woman!!! Making a special effort to 'take the truck' to go take pictures hasn't been worth it to me, so I haven't written anything in here. No pictures, no inspiration.. Silly. This past week I ordered a new camera. Its taken two years or more to pick out the one I wanted. I had narrowed it down to a choice between a Canon IS and a panasonic F7. My husband gave me the camera for Christmas 2-3 years ago and said till I got that camera, he wasn't picking out any more presents. LOL. When I looked I found a panasonic FZ18... It has nearly everything I was looking for - and also an extra telephoto and wide angle lenses. I can't wait to learn how to use it. Its fully automatic, or fully manual..any way that you choose.

I've looked at the pictures taken by so many who write in garden 'blogs' and they are beautiful and inspiring. I love watching others gardens grow through their writing and their pictures. This summer my yard has been full of assorted butterflies.. Its been a toss up whether I could give up so many flowers to allow the catepillars to grow and eat my bushes or eliminate the cats and have the flowers. The sulphur butterflies are very large bright lemon yellow and apricot flying flowers, so they got to stay. As a result my cassia bush has only had a few blossoms this year. I think I've shared enough and plan to spray it with a bit of soap, vinegar and lots of water tomorrow. I've told people, including one daughter, that we have SO many butterflies. She happened to be here late one afternoon and looked into the back yard. Her comment "Holy Butterflies, Mother!!!" said it all. more laughing. I have some pictures of assorted butterflies and hope they are still around posing when my new camera arrives.