It is hard for me to believe how little I had photographed my garden and it’s surroundings prior to this year. I spent all my time on digging out new beds and moving plants around with reckless abandon, never stopping to enjoy it all – very task driven.
Well, I now find myself taking out the camera and wandering aimlessly, not really sure what I want to photograph, yet by the end of the sojourn (like that term, huh?), I’ve got a ton of photos to look at and it allows me to sit back and actually enjoy what the garden and the creatures who live in it have to offer.
Here is the latest collection of said shots, and while I am aware of the fact that it may be overkill, I am still too geeked up to stop.
Enjoy.
The butterflies are in full effect and I’ve even started to attempt to identify them. Good times.
I admit to being relatively clueless when it comes to bird identification but I will work my way there soon because I have seen so many different species this year and homey needs to know what they are. Just a few shots I took on a whim.
Letting nature take it’s course – I have been monitoring the ladybugs to make sure they are properly disposing of the aphids and so far they have been graded out as a C+. They need to get their asses in gear before I step in and take care of business.
I have actually allowed some “weeds” to mature just to see what they really are, and in some cases, I am digging the results. I don’t know exactly what these purple flowers are, but they have remained within bounds so they can stay.
My first year with a Yucca (loving it) and the first sign of a new rosette forming next to the plant. Sweet.
And finally, some blooms to round it all out.
Hahah great post. I too am amazed at how few pics I used to take. I did a before/after post and searched last years pics – all 150 of them. This year I took 150…. per week. I also gave up waiting for the lady bugs to do their jobs and killed the aphids myself. Great butterfly, bird and bloom shots!
Great photos. Keep it up! I am amassing quite a collection of garden photos. I think it gets out of control when you know you can just click away. I have to learn to delete, and that it hard for me.
Your butterfly pictures are lovely! I can never get those…unless the butterfly just hatched or is injured.
Beautiful shots of the butterflies! We get mostly swallowtail around here, and tons of the little white ones. I’ve been trying to get pictures, but there usually to fast for me. Or maybe it’s my loud children chasing them down with butterfly nets thats scaring them off. Who could say really?
Hey, John! Love your photos! I don’t go anywhere (literally) without a camera. But, honestly, it’s always the time I don’t have it that I see something really great! Nice butterfly pics…that swallowtail is glorious! The little bird, I believe, is a sparrow…possibly a chipping or a tree sparrow. They’re so sweet!
LOVE your sedum!!! Beautiful!
Cool photos, especially of the butterflies. I am impressed that you know what a Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is.
Your shots are beautiful.. love the butterflies and birds.. The purple flower that you are unsure of is called Purple Loosetrife and while pretty be careful as it is very invasive.
Great photos! I always feel like the neighbors think I’m crazy when I’m walking around the house taking photos of my plants. Whatever, they can get over it!
Nice pics! 🙂
I love butterflies. I love living where there are so many varieties, in Edmonton I don’t remember seeing that many kinds.
At the baseball game we attended last night, we were sitting next to an older couple. A butterfly was flitting erratically all over the place, and finally landed right on her boobs. She was looking down at it, it was slowly flapping its wings out to the side. I wanted to take a picture, but I thought it would have been creepy to take a picture of a strange old lady’s boobs at a baseball game.
You have lavender!!!!!
Tell me where to plant it and how to take care of it! I want butterflys so badly….
Joey
thepurple plant you said you didnt know what it is and remained in bounds? looks like purple loosestrife, an invasive plant thats wiping out natives inswamps and along highways and fields. all over,
you might want to rip it out,i actually planted some yrs ago and my neighbor freaked out on me and ever since then i stayed away, no matter how pretty it is