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It’s been quite a while since I’ve had the opportunity to see so many butterflies in one day. It looks like my timing was just right as I found and photographed a few today. The first I discovered was a Little Wood-Satyr shown below:

Photos Copyright Jeffrey Foltice

I used my Canon 50mm Macro lens. I’ve found it rare that butterflies will allow me to approach so closely in nature, but this and others today didn’t seem to be disturbed in the least by my presence, no matter how close I was.

The next was a small butterfly enjoying butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).I spotted it at the base of a fairly steep hill about 40 feet away, but I was determined to get close enough to use my macro lens and reveal the beautiful detail I knew would be there.

Finally, I saw an area of milkweed that several Great Spangled…

The sunflower seeds that I sent to one of my brothers are doing well.  During the most recent heat wave in Virginia, he described diligently watering their stalwart green stems along with his green pepper plants.  I asked him this morning if they have yet to bloom and he replied, “No.  They just keep growing taller!  They are already taller than the porch.  The landlord worries they might overgrow the house. The stems are so thick and the leaves so broad, you can’t see anything. They are creating a natural wall.  The landlord may want to cut them down.” I encouraged him not to allow that to happen.  While they are not beanstalks for Jack to climb, who knows what’s to be found at the top of those flowers once they pierce the clouds?

As for these sunflowers, they were to be found in Boston’s Copley Square as I dashed…

flowers after the rain….

These clouds I saw at the end of a long day.  I sat at the kitchen table wondering what my next step would be, and as I did so, I happened to glance over my shoulder and saw that sky.  At first, I planned to just sit and watch and not worry about trying to capture anything. But after a while, I felt that compulsion to jump up and find my camera.

each petal
wore a glimmer
of lavender

cloudy day
the lupin shine
a blue that smiles for the sky

when work is joy
your calling is found

in the kindness
of June’s gentle sun
babies feather and iris bloom

scaling petal peaks
mountaineering  ant
ascends white ridge