Little World, no. 2

When I took Bug down to the lake this afternoon, I noticed that city workers had mowed. Cut grass is a good thing; I can more easily see—and thus avoid—a pile of dog poop that one of my inconsiderate neighbors has neglected to pick up, and in the early mornings my shoes won't get so wet with dew. This mowing, however, will probably wipe out the last of the fleabane, a wildflower/weed that was at its height early in the spring. Yesterday, small patches were still popping out blooms, and I managed to photograph a cassius blue butterfly enjoying nectar from the flowers:


I'm sure that like the clover, fleabane has appeared every spring. This is the first year that I've noticed it, though. That's one important benefit of having a camera: I am always looking for photo opportunities, so I notice my environment a lot more. Finding a new location is also an opportunity to learn things, since I want to know what to call the flora and fauna I spy there.

When the fleabane was in full bloom, it made a thick circle around the lake. All I had to do was sit with the sun at my back to capture a wide variety of visitors who came, like this skipper butterfly:



Also snacking on the nectar were drone and hoverflies:



And bees of various breeds came to work in the "fields":



I will miss the fleabane, but the recent rains have inspired the Spanish needle to flourish, and that ugly wildflower/weed is always good for attracting all kinds of bugs.

A special note: Today marks the one-year anniversary of this blog. Whoo-hoo! I managed to commit to project that no one but me cares about for a whole year. I had hoped to write at least 100 posts, but I only made it to 79, 3 of which are still saved as unfinished "drafts."