Thursday, August 16, 2007

Detours

I was heading out to the post office this afternoon, to mail a stack of postcards before my next show. I will be doing the Lyndhurst Show in Tarrytown, NY mid September, and I am a little late in getting these out...but better late than never, right?


On my way to the car, I was noticing all the butterflies in our yard. We have an enormous butterfly bush that is in bloom right now, and there are all sorts of butterflies flying around our yard. It is so cool! I decided to take a detour and take a closer look. After a minute or two of watching, I went and got my camera.

Can you see why I had to take a detour in my day, and just stop and watch for a while? What you can't see is the myriad butterflies, flying all over the bush, and over my head. And all the bees, weighing down blooms as they gather nectar. I had been meaning to take pictures of the hydrangea for some time, but....and the coneflowers are in bloom, so I got a picture of them as well.

There was even a hummingbird on the bush.....(tree???), but I couldn't get a picture of it. It moved too fast, and was too far away for the range of my camera. I am not sure what this bug in the picture at left is. It looked like a very small hummingbird, the way it flitted from bloom to bloom, and the way it's wings were going. But, it was much smaller than a hummingbird. I got a few pictures, and it was clear that it was an insect, not a hummingbird......But not one I had seen before. It has this very long probiscus....I think that is what they call it....the long, skinny thing it sticks into the flower to collect nectar.

Take the detour. When you are being pulled to take a few minutes to stop and notice and observe, do it! The rewards were so worth those few extra minutes in the driveway, watching nature do it's thing. I will carry those few minutes with me long beyond this day. And now I have some pictures to share as well.

8 comments:

Janice said...

Judy,

Great post and great pictures! I used to have a butterfly bush and always enjoyed seeing the butterflies around it - but never saw a hummingbird. Taking that unexpected break from "life" always does something wonderful for the spirit!

TOMAS said...

I am so happy for you have discovered the highway in the detour and took that road.

Thank you
The butterfly in the plaster

Anonymous said...

It's a kind of moth. We always called it a "hummingbird moth", but I don't know the official name. Cool, eh?

Anonymous said...

This has been a great year for gardens in the Northeast, hasn't it? That adorable little pollinator is called the hummingbird moth - when my son was small he named it the "hummingbug". Obviously it stuck with me. too cute. Enjoy the beauty. See you in September.
Loretta

Judy said...

Hi Janice, I was absolutely thrilled to see the hummingbird. Each time I see one I feel like I have received a special gift, because they are so rarely seen, at least where I live. But I have seen one on this bush (it really is tree size though), for two days in a row! I am practically ready to camp out and watch the action for the better part of a day. :-)

Tomas, I am glad you enjoyed the pictures. I am glad I was able to capture a bit of my experience to share.

Anon, thanks! I will have to do some research when I have some time. It is very cool, because it really does move just like a hummingbird. As Dr. Seuss might say, "Oh, the things we will see...."

Judy said...

Thanks Loretta! I don't think I had ever seen one before, but taking the picture really helped me get a good look at him. I hope you get a chance for a break in the next few weeks....

Anonymous said...

The photos are enchanting. I scrolled through to see if anyone knew that one flyer because I have them too - my favorite name for it is "hummingbug" so I think that is what it will be from now on. Lucky you to have hummingbirds - we've always had them until this year when none of our 3 regulars showed up. =[

Judy said...

Hi Tammy, Hummingbirds are truly magical creatures, aren't they?