Tuesday 3 August 2010

In perfect harmony.......

Peacock
There was a mist hanging over the garden this morning. A chill in the air.

Comma
By mid morning the sun had appeared, not hot, gently warm.

Comma.
The perfect day for butterflies.
Common Blue
The perfect day for me.
Common blue
Rain is expected tonight. I am looking forward to rain............
Small Copper
I miss my childhood summers. Sunshine and rain. Long dry summers do not suit me or the garden........
Purple Hairstreak on ragwort.
the butterflies like it though.......I am happy for the butterflies.


17 comments:

  1. What beautiful photos. The Common blue looks angelic and the peacock is always such a pleasure to see. Thank you for sharing these :)

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  2. As always Cheryl a tranquile and beautiful post. I am with you on not liking long dry summers I miss the smell of damp earth after rain and the greenery everywhere. However I read today that overall July has been one of the wettest on record in the UK - just not in our necks of the woods!!

    Have noticed quite a few butterflies today and also some beautiful turquoise dragonflies.

    Jane

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  3. Hi Cheryl, our comma butterflies look exactly like yours. Usually your birds and butterflies are a little different. We have a buckeye butterfly that looks something like your first photo.
    Marnie

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  4. Whisperingearth....tku, you are most welcome.

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  5. Hi Jane.....I have never known it so dry. The sparrows have made dust baths all around the garden.....which is fine, I can fill them in autumn. My willows are shedding leaves each day, and some are looking sickly.
    I long for the summers I once knew........

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  6. Hi Marnie.....I had noticed our commas look the same. As you say, that is quite unusual......

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  7. Cheryl, I love the rare days of summer, usually after a very hot spell, when you feel a slight chill in the air first thing of the morning, and as the day heats up, you can feel the intensity is not there. The air is warm and soft. Lovely end of summer days. Enjoy the reprieve--we usually don't feel it until October! I do hope you get some rain soon. Your blooms and butterflies are beautiful in spite of the heat and lack of rain.

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  8. It is amazing that the delicate looking butterfly thrives in the heat of summer where I wilt. These are marvelous photos. Try to stay cool. I hope you get some rain.

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  9. Cheryl, Truly remarkable captures of your friends! We haven't seen many this Summer here so it's nice to be able to marvel online at their beauty. Sorry to hear about your dry spell - we're tinder dry here too until October, but, that's "normal."

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  10. I love all the butterflies and wish it were a bit cooler here. :)

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  11. Hi Jenny......I love the cooler days of summer. I also like the change in light that starts to happen around this time of year. There is a softness that always makes me feel quite melancholy.
    It should have rained overnight, sadly it didn't. sigh

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  12. Amy, how do you cope with such extended summer heat? When I was a lot younger the summers were wet and mild. We would have the odd hot day but not for such long spells. I suppose this is why I do not cope with the long hot summers we have now. In SE UK the weather pattern has definately changed......

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  13. Hi Cheryl,

    Wonderful photos, I love that you have so many Butterflies!

    Which flowers do you find the Blues love especially? I'd love to attract some and really hope that they do come. I know you need to have them in the area to begin with and we have in the past but I haven't seen any for a couple of years.

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  14. Hi Liz....without doubt wild flowers.....ragwort and corn marigolds are the best. I have planted corn marigolds in drifts this year and they are full of butterflies, especially the blues. They have even left verbena bonariensis this year and gone to the wild flowers.
    Ragwort I know is a wild plant that many do not like. This morning I saw it covered with butterflies, cinnabar moth, ladybirds and lacewings....quite amazing.

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  15. Hi Cheryl,

    When I first moved in I had something which looked a lot like Ragwort, but I cannot be sure and it did indeed attract plenty of insects. I think it must've died off or been killed because I haven't seen it for a while... I also lost the fever few over winter.

    I'll try to get hold of some corn marigolds - I've never seen ragwort for sale anywhere!!! lol.
    There's plenty in fields around Scotland though, I'll ask my mum to bring some back... tee hee.

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  16. Hi Liz....that made me smile. Can you imagine a nursery selling ragwort. I actually love it, I think it is really pretty. I could send you seeds of course?? I have a nice post coming up in the next few days of another blue that was in the garden laying her eggs on wild flowers.....yippeeeeeee.....leave you guessing which one. No, it is not the adonis blue!!

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  17. You do have a way with that camera. I still haven't even attempted taking pics of anything that moves (butterflies, birds, etc.)
    We have been having such tropical weather. Rain, thunder storms, sun and then it starts all over again. The humidity has been horrendous. David would not have done well at home this summer.

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