Joy in the garden

In the garden yesterday.

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

~ Maya Angelou

Beauty and decay.

I think I might be about to bore you to tears with far too many pictures of butterflies.  I spent a few hours out in the scrounger’s garden yesterday and today, and there is pure magic going on in and around the flowers.  I wish we could all walk out there together so you could experience what it is like to have a large group of Monarch butterflies dancing and gliding and flitting around you.  It makes me feel like a child filled to almost-bursting with delight, as if this was the first time I’ve seen butterflies.  It truly is the first time I’ve seen so many Monarchs gathered in one place.

Dipping into the zinnia.

Since you are not here and I want to share, I took a lot of photographs.  Far too many, I’m sure.  It will take me a while to sort through them all.  A poet might be able to describe them in words, but my poetry skills are not quite up to the task of describing the wonder of seeing and being enchanted by so many beautiful, magical creatures in the garden.

The flower and the butterfly greeting each other.

Did you know that the name for a group of butterflies is a kaleidoscope?  Isn’t that marvelous?  I think so.  It suits them, especially when so many of them visit at once.

A dance of life.

The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.

~ Rachel Carson

A delicate walk.

For those of you interested in Walktober, you have until midnight tomorrow to submit your link on this post (via pingback or you can stop by and leave the link in the comments section).  I will be coming around soon to join those of you who have already left me a link for your walks.  I hope to do the round-up post by Thursday, but there is a possibility that I might have to leave it until next week because I’ve been spending way too much time out in the garden watching the butterflies.  I hope that will serve as a good excuse.

Almost a kiss.

Thank you for joining me in the garden today.  It was not the usual Monday meander since there was little walking or meandering involved.  I am thinking of meandering out to the dock to watch the sunset this evening.  If you’d like to join me, it’s at 6:12 PM.  You’ll want to arrive at least twenty minutes before that since the sun goes down behind the treeline at least ten to fifteen minutes before the scheduled time.  That will also give us a few minutes to see what’s happening in the woods as we make our way to the dock.

Sharing a flower.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

Looks like they are having a conversation.  Perhaps they are discussing the migration route.

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy:  36) The beauty and magic of nature.  37) Being able to witness a small part of the Monarch fall migration.  38) All the work I’ve done in the scrounger’s garden (because it sure does pay off in more ways than I can possibly count!).  39) A visit to the doctor this morning, and the news that all is well.  40) Wonder-filled walks around the Wabi-Sabi Ranch.

In flight. As you can tell, I almost missed this shot. They move so quickly that I find them more difficult to catch in flight than a hummingbird or a dragonfly.