The Latest Thing

The world has gone crazy for pollinators.  At least that is true here in my neck of the woods.  And we are learning that even other insects are valuable to the earth.  

When I was a child and we used to drive across the Colorado plains and fields, we would find our front grill and many times our front windshield covered in bugs when we got home.  That no longer happens anywhere we drive.  Scientists discovered several years ago that not only pollinators, but all the other important insects were in serious decline.  Some say as much as 70%!  If you are not a "buggy" person I am sorry.  A decline in any and all insects threatens our very existence as well as many of the birds and that whole tapestry of living beings on this planet.  We are all connected.

So, I took a stroll in my garden and photographed the more lovely of these flying and crawling creatures hoping it will lift your spirits.  (The next time there is a bug in your house, please scrap it up gently with paper and take it outside.)

That Zebra Swallowtail above is on my oregano.

Still Attempting Art

While I have no formal training in composition, style,color values, light balance...I do have some experience with these working with photography. So, I guess my desire to experiment, which cannot be subdued, makes me a bit of an artist. 

My flowers this year are extravagant.  I have upped the watering by 20 minutes and that has made the plants very happy.  Happy enough to begin to fight with each other for space.  Many of my plants are natives and they can usually outcompete the hyrids.

Below the first photo is monarda (beebalm) which with its square stem is related to the mint family, and most gardeners know how that goes!...and grows!  The next photos are all of my tiger lily which can spread as a non-native, but which I am pretty sure I can control.  It is very photographic or should that be photogenic?  I had fun with software changing, adding textures, and dodging and burning below.