July 20, 2015
The butterfly bush in the backyard garden is a beacon for these beautiful butterflies. They are all over the bush and then they fly to the neighbor’s yard, only to fly back in a few seconds. I am glad we have this beautiful bush. Yesterday, as I walked around the bush to take these shots, the fragrance from the lavender flowers caught my attention. Right now, I am convinced we need one closer to the sidewalk!
We usually have a few swallowtail butterflies but this year we have one, which I have never seen before. I think it might be a zebra swallowtail butterfly. If you know what it is, please leave a comment below. He was not one to sit still and I did not get the best shot. He is so pretty!
There was another butterfly, which is not as colorful, on the bush, but he looked rather majestic in this shot. He looks like a variegated fritillary butterfly.
This little dragonfly was resting on the creeping jenny at the edge of the fish pond. I have noticed three different types of dragonflies in the backyard.
Sophia and Aidan insisted I run and grab the camera to take a picture of this little dragonfly. They kept an eye on him as I retrieved the camera and began taking pictures. Then we looked at the shots together and they decided this was definitely the best one. They were intrigued by his coloring and his eyes.
The red roses are probably my favorite flowers. How gorgeous is this? The white blur in the background is white sweet alyssum. The ‘Don Juan’ red climbing rose with the tiny white sweet alyssum flowers all around the base of it, is quite striking.
The nasturtiums are blooming! I thought the nasturtiums from last year would reseed and I would have them coming up this spring, but that did not happen. Yes, we had a rough winter. Maybe that is why. I don’t know.
I most definitely want these flowers in my garden! This spring, I bought two different kinds of seeds. One packet of seeds was the Alaska variety and the other was the Dwarf Jewel Mix. One of the plants in the dwarf Jewel mix has a red colored flower, which immediately caught my attention. I love it!
I am looking forward to using the flowers in salads again this year. The nasturtium vinaigrette I made last year smelled and tasted so good, I can’t wait to make it again. If you have never had it, you should really try it. For the recipe click here ►Nasturtium Vinaigrette.
The daylilies have been blooming for weeks. I know the final weeks for daylily blooms are near. This bi-colored daylily is one of the last to bloom. It signals the end of the season. They have all put on a beautiful show this year. I will miss the gorgeous big blooms, but I do have the pictures. The pictures of the daylilies, the dragonflies, the butterflies and all the beautiful flowers in my backyard garden keep the memories of another great summer alive.
