More Butterfly pictures and a project

Yesterday I made a Christmas gift - can't say what it is or whom it's for but I will show this much. It's 100% Wool and I want one for myself as well. I will have to include specific care instructions so that it doesn't shrink to Barbie size and hope the receiver reads them. I had enough yarn left to make myself a delightful little wool coaster for my coffee mug to set on at my desk. Perhaps my coffee will stay hot longer while sitting on this; my desk is metal and it seems to zap the heat right out of my mugs.














Yesterday I was able to catch a few photos of one of the black butterflies that visit my lantana by the lamp post. This one looks like it's had quite a few close calls with birds; it's wings were looking pretty raggedy. I absolutely love the delayed shutter control on our little camera. These didn't turn out as well as the previous ones as this butterfly did NOT like the added attention it was getting. I need to set a chair up out there that I could just sit and wait for them so that they would get used to my presence... perhaps I could even catch a picture of some of the tiny hummingbirds that visit.

A Saturday with Nature

Yesterday started with me finding these BIG mushrooms in the same raised bed as our cantaloupe. Of course I HAD to take a picture of them to share on here. We are watching close to a half dozen more cantaloupe's growing like crazy and hopefully the rest will be as good as that first one was last month. This has been so funny as we have absolutely no luck growing these when we purposefully plants them and now this one came up volunteer and is doing so well. After I finished checking on the cantaloupe I decided to mow the back yard for the dog so she wasn't having to get around in such deep grass. She always gets so excited when the mower gets pulled out and barks and barks. Scott came out and got out his newly trash rescued lawnmower and helped me mow so it took very little time and then we were done. We fixed some water to take with us for our walk/run and then spent close to 2 hours walking/running by the river. We hadn't been down there in quite some time so there was a LOT to see and photograph. Natures beauty is all around us everyday we just have to slow down enough to REALLY look at it. Just as we got out of the car there were all these cute toadstools by the lamp post. Then as we got to the gate by the Riverfront park entrance we looked up and there was an Osprey sitting on top of the old dead tree. It was just sitting up there looking like it felt like it was in command of all that it could see - so regal.

As we walked along things just kept catching my eye...

River oats... the ball shaped seed pods of a sycamore tree... A yellow daisy type flower that I need to look up... a tiny VERY blue wing left on the side walk by a butterfly.... A small butterfly with a deformed wing - still beautiful even with the stunted wing... A couple gorgeous Rose of Sharon that are growing under the Blossom Street Bridge... And an inkling that Fall truly is not too far off - a small Autumn colored leaf that was resting on the Boardwalk rail.