Blink and You'll Miss It

We have the cutest Hummingbird couple visiting us each day.

They come to sip nectar from the re-blooming flowers, especially the Monarda and every once in a while from the hummingbird feeder we have out.

When they whiz by me in the garden, I always realize that one-second too late who it was, and they're gone.

This time my daughter Morgan was nearby with her camera and managed to catch the hummingbird as it flew past! (You can see it against one of the white pillars.)

Blink!

Dinner For Two?

These beautiful hibiscus remind me of very expensive hand-painted china plates. At almost 12 inches in diameter, they could hold a sizeable supper!

Alas, they are much too fragile and beautiful for such an ordinary purpose and will serve you better as nourishment for your eyes.

The Sentinel

Here stands one of my loyal guards hard at work scanning the horizon for our enemies. He stretches his neck high over the garden, ready to sound the alarm should he spot that most wily, stealthy and destructive adversary of all time, the squirrel!

Look a Little Closer

Now that the flowers are finishing it seems the garden is becoming populated with all kinds of interesting creatures. This caterpillar looks like he is on his way to the arctic, or maybe he plans on staying here until December, when the ground will be covered in snow.

To view him properly click on the picture. Get a good look at that face, the whiskers, the eyebrows and those two black tufts of hair.

I wonder what his story is?

Beauty and Strength

A Monarch Butterfly spotted in the last days of summer here in Quebec, Canada. It is enjoying the incredibly sweet, incense-like smell of a Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) before it begins its migration to Mexico.

Because of its amazing metamorphosis from caterpillar to beautiful butterfly, the Monarch is a symbol of transformation and change.

I think it is also a symbol for the wisdom we pass on from one generation to the next. Along the migration path the adult Monarch lays its eggs and dies shortly after. The eggs have been imprinted with the migration route and as soon as they mature, they will continue their parent's journey.

That something as fragile as a butterfly can travel across thousands of miles of rugged terrain at the mercy of temperature, wind, rain, predators and a limited food supply is nothing short of a miracle.

The orange and black stained-glass wings with their polka dot border also make the Monarch an eye-catching beauty.

I see it as just one more of the many miracles of nature; each one unique, each worth stopping for and appreciating.

Portal to Another Galaxy

Morning Glory, an aptly named flower because it blooms early in the morning. By mid-afternoon the flower curls into itself and disappears.

This dark blue/purple variety is so striking. It looks like the midnight sky is still lingering in the daylight.

A portal glowing deep within, a passage to another galaxy...

Inspiration

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.

Take a moment to admire a sunflower.

From far away or so close your nose is almost touching it, you can't help but be filled with a sense of wonder at the colour, the intricate seed pattern, the strength of the stalk, the size of the flower and the multitude of insects that race across its face!

The sun stands before you.

Inspiration!

A Touch of Autumn

It's an early fall for the flowers. Echinacea are drooping their petals and pushing up their seed cones while the phlox continue to make the garden look cheerful.

This photo is such a mellow combination of old rose, mauve, white and green.

It's strange, but although I love my summer flowers, I am equally excited by the first signs of autumn.

Feel the Heat

Everything about this picture is wrong. The shutter speed was set too slow and the photo ended up blurry and over-exposed.

Then why do I like it so much?

It showed, in a way I could never have accomplished if I had been trying, the heat and vibrancy of an August field of Rudbeckia-hirta.

A field of sunshine!