Speaking of butterflies and zinnias…Well, we were, right? In several recent posts?
Anyway, here are some shots from yesterday afternoon of a gorgeous tiger swallowtail that came flittering hither and yon about the old-timey zinnias planted along the walkway.
The day was hot with light clouds. It had sprinkled a few times during the morning hours—not enough to matter except to make the sultry air feel even more humid. Myladylove and I were working at various yard chores, though I was keeping an eye on a couple of loaves of banana-walnut bread in the oven, along with a couple of marinating steaks which were destined for the grill later on. When the butterfly came along, I immediately grabbed my camera.
A slight overcast always makes for good photographic lighting unless you're trying to shoot landscapes with a lot of sky in the horizon. But the afternoon's occasional gusty little breeze, while it gave welcome heat-relief, played havoc with my attempts to stay focused and framed on my fluttering subject. Often it blew so hard it was all the poor butterfly could do to hang on to whatever blossom it was nectaring. And sometimes, hanging on was impossible…and the swallowtail would be swept off, tumbling momentarily, at the mercy of the wind before it regained some measure of control and fluttered and fought its way back to the flowers.
I don't know whether or not a butterfly can feel frustration, but a photographer certainly can. And yet, frustrated as I was with the impish wind's effects on my photo session, I couldn't help but admire the swallowtail's single-minded determination, the pluck of something so small and fragile and aerodynamically vulnerable before any breeze more intense than the mildest zephyr. Would that I had the courage and perseverance to face my own comparable hardships with the same indomitable spirit and attitude. ———————
18 comments:
HI GRIZZ- these pictures are exquisite. I feel right there perched next to the zinnia and the butterfly. Amazing. And I can smell that banana walnut bread baking AND I can see the steak marinating. I will be right over. :-)
Meanwhile, SKipp went to the grocery store - it is a rainy day here so a good day to shop and get home so we can burl up with a good movie. WE are making sub sandwiches, hoagies is another name for our dinner later with chicken breast, tomato from our garden, sweet butter lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber and red onion and a tall lemonade. And I put rasberry sherbert on the grocery list. Glad to read that you and your lady-love are out and about doing chores and enjoying your Sunday together. Life is good.
Love to you always my friend
Gail
peace......
absolutely wonderful photos.
Very nice!!! (As always...) I will be in your neck of the woods (almost) this week. Lancaster and maybe Gambier. I'll give a yell when I get there.
Gail…
Sorry to be slow in replying, but Myladylove and I made a quick trip to Sam's for a few items…and ended up being gone for over six hours! PLUS spent $200 on groceries! We did stop for cheesburgers and an ice cream cone, took a drive in the country and along the way, through a favorite park to check on photo potential—and got caught in a really terrific thunderstorm. Which is about the normal way we do shopping junkets.
Anyway, glad you liked the swallowtail pix. I thought they turned out nice. Also, it sounds like we're all doing well when it comes to eating. Your sandwiches with homegrown tomatoes would be just the ticket. Considering all we spent, I don't think we actually have a thing planned for supper. I may have to break into the treats I bought for Moon-the-Dog. :-D
Be good and take care—and enjoy.
Ellen…
Thank you. I was really pleased with them—especially now that I know the flower's name! ;-/
Giggles…
Holler loud—both are a rather fer piece (in the vernacular of us river rats) from here. Don't get distracted by a bird and run over any buggies up there in Amish country.
HI AGAIN -
your six hour excursion sounded wonderful. And our grocery bill was about the same - we rang in at $217.00. Geesh, for two people and one dog
we live, as they say, 'high on the hog'. We do enjoy good food and don't skimp to much - we are smart shoppers but we like what we like. ANd we are SO grateful we can put food on our table and even be a bit extravagant if the palate desires. Dolan is coming home Tuesday for several days so we bought some extra stuff he enjoys. And again, so grateful we can. Tonight we are making chicken tenders, italian style and salad. WE have hummus and crackers for 'happy hour'. Doesn't get any better!!! today is a good day.
Loving you
Gail
peace.....
The lat image is a special gem. Out of context, it might be confusing, but with the others, it's a great finale.
Exquisite pictures Grizz. Hope you did not forget that wonderful-sounding banana and walnut bread though while you were taking them.
Wow, Grizz! These are spectacular...
Gail…
Well, I'm glad to hear such grocery bills for two people and a dog aren't unique…though in our case Sunday, we bought several once-in-a-while things (coffee beans, laundry liquid, a gallon of olive oil, etc.) that probably accounted for $100 of our bill in a handful of items. So the regular grocery expense wasn't too much. And it isn't a weekly deal—more like every 10-12 days.
I don't buy much in the way of prepared or packaged food, just staples—fresh meat eggs, veggies, fruits, grains. I pretty much make everything, except I don't bake bread too often, and always use store-bought pasta . Right now, the homegrown produce is just coming in, and there's nothing I like better than stopping by those roadside stands of fruits and vegetables—melons, tomatoes, half-runner beans, sweet corn, squash, peaches—and later, apples, grapes, and pears. Hooray for late-summer produce!
Scott…
I think the last image in the post is my favorite, too. Unlike the one of the dark-phase tiger swallowtail I posted a week or two back, which was a pure luck capture, this time it was a deliberate attempt to catch the butterfly as it took off. (Not the first attempt, mind you; I tried several times and this is the only shot that worked.)
Weaver…
Nope, the banana/walnut bread has been given its due…one loaf lasted perhaps 24 hours, the other is in the freezer awaiting its occasion.
Kelly…
For me, butterflies are irresistible…and this time, the subject was cooperative and the light prefect. Thank you.
HI A THIRD TIME - :-) I SO agree about local grown vegetables and fruits. We have several stands near by and actually our grocery store features locally gron produce. We, like you don't buy prepared foods - we make everything ourselves, from pizza, to pie. And my home made marinara sauce is SO good if I do say so myself. :-) We just started thinking about making our own bread - we make our own corn bread and zucchini breads and muffins but not bread for sandwiches, dunking in soups and stews and toast, or just plain with butter and or jam, etc. I have an old 'farmers daughters cook book' that my Mom and I used in the 70's to make bread together. We gave it as gifts. It was tradition for many years. The recipes are all calculated to make many loaves of our favorites. Brown bread, buttermilk bread, whole wheat, and on and on. One recipe you bake in a coffee can!!! Oh such fond memories. :-)
Looking forward to the change in the weather - from oppressive to cool and dry come Thursday. Amen.
Love to you
Gail
peace.....
Your stalking and frustration yielded some great shots of this superbly beautiful butterfly. We don't get anything to match such wonder here.
Gail…
Hey, third time's the charm! And I'll have you know, it's already cool here…and feels absolutely wonderful!
I make almost everything we eat from scratch—except for bread, though I also bake cornbread, biscuits, and fried hoecakes, and several sweet breads, plus (rarely) cookies and muffins. Don't do pies (I'm almost afraid to start, given how much I love 'em) and almost never a cake, as cakes are my least favorite dessert. But while, like you, I used to make various beads, I haven't done so in years. BTW, my Mom also used to make a sweetened bread with raisins— called Hobo Bread—which she baked in 1lb. coffee cans.
Enjoy your coming cool!
Arija…
Thank you. These big butterflies are really common here, along with many others equally colorful. I guess we tend to take them for granted…though I never get tired of photographing 'em.
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