Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Butterflies!





There are 160 species of butterflies in Georgia.  And they must be the fastest butterflies in the world because as soon as I have a camera trained on one, they are flying away quicker than I can say,
Oh pooh, MISSED it!"

 Have I shared the butterfly video with you before?  Phil Deletrez was one of the Rangers who used to guide hikes over Panola Mountain.  He is at another park now and I miss him.  (Phil is very knowledgeable about birds, butterflies and well, just about anything in nature!  I love the butterfly video that he made...hope you like it too!)

Richard has taken some great photos recently of the butterflies in our own back yard.  He also has captured some very good shots of the butterflies at Panola Mountain and Arabia Mountain.  Once, when we were walking over the boardwalk at Alexander lake, we saw a butterfly that he thought reminded him of a butterfly that he knew from England...the Red Admiral.  We looked it up after we got home and you will never believe it...that is exactly what it was! Same butterfly in England as in the USA!    (Named by Moses Harris in 1766...he called it "the Admirable".)

 
So happy that the Mexican sunflower that I planted from seed in May is now over 6 feet tall! (Okay, it is in a pot, but still...that's big!)  AND the butterflies LOVE it!  A nice woman who owns a nursery gave the seed away for FREE at the Monastery Fall Festival last year.  There will another festival at the Monastery this weekend, so I hope to tell the kind lady how much I enjoy the Mexican sunflower!
(We are not sure of this pretty yellow butterfly...is it a cloudless sulphur or an orange sulphur?  Not sure, but speaking of orange, that Mexican sunflower is the deepest orange, just lovely!)

 You see, I have been very busy lately but all I really want to do is gaze at flowers and marvel at butterflies.
 

31 comments:

  1. Lovely post, Kay!!! Butterflies are beautiful. I'm forever trying to catch them with my camera. You sound happy and well!

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    1. Thanks, Louise! I have had a lot going on lately but I am grateful that the butterflies have floated into my life!

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  2. I have never been able to capture a butterfly either. Nice pictures.

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    1. Happy my husband is patient and has a steady hand.

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  3. The butterflies over here are just as fast as yours, Kay - I hardly ever manage to capture them on camera...
    It is amazing to think of 160 kinds of butterflies; with some luck and hard thinking, maybe I'd get 30 names together out of the top of my head!
    The orange sunflower and yellow butterfly are a perfect picture, wonderful!

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    1. I will have to work on a butterfly list, that sounds like a nice retirement project! :-)
      I think that the butterfly on the Mexican Sunflower is great too, glad you like it as much!

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  4. You got a six foot tall plant from one free seed? That's some seed. I really like butterflies too. The sanctuary I go to every year has a tropical house filled with plants and butterflies and it's always fun to go look at them all.

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    1. Yes! And every time I look at it, it makes me ridiculously happy!
      Butterflies are very beautiful to observe no matter where they are!

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  5. That sunflower and the butterfly are gorgeous! I'll be on the look out for those seeds here to plant next year. Never seen that variety before.

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    1. Oh my yes, please do let me know if you find them!
      Hey, you know what? Send me an email with your address and if I have any seeds that I can harvest, I will be glad to send you some in the mail!

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  6. Those are some great pictures! I have never seen that type of sunflower before-the color is gorgeous. Finally back to blogging here so looking forward to catching up. xo Diana

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    1. Hey Diana! So good to see you here!
      That color is a deep orange, so pretty!
      AND giggle, giggle.. how did this plant grow so tall? IT"S MAGICK, BUTTERBALL!!! So funny! xx

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  7. Beautiful butterflies and wonderful pictures!

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    1. Thank you, Kristi. Free plant with a free butterfly! xx

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  8. I recognized some butterflies from the video that are around here but didn't know their names. Your photo's are pretty.

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    1. Thank you, Sylvia! Glad you watched the video and liked it! :-)

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  9. Sunflowers are beautiful and so are butterflies!

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  10. It would take a lifetime to appreciate how wonderful butterflies and flowers are, and how intricate their lives and the balance. In fact, it does take a lifetime! Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures.

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    1. I wish that others appreciated them as much as we do! Glad you like the photos too.

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  11. Butterflies to fly incredibly quickly don't they! Beautiful photographs of them! xx

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    1. Yes! The butterflies are faster than anything, especially if I have a camera trained on them! :-)

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    1. Thanks! And I am with you, let's just call it a sulpher!

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  13. Great butterflies. Flying kaleidoscopes. Like the flower.

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    1. You know, I think I will have to do a post about the Mexican sunflower, it is an amazing plant.

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  14. Thank you, Debra! I will tell Richard you like his photos!

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  15. I'll be darned!

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    1. Yes, Phil. just keep reading my blog and I will make you remember your own life! HA! That is what is so wonderful about YouTube, it allows like-minded people to appreciate your artistic talents!

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