Despite July’s heat — and a glaring lack of monsoon rains — a number of days ended with cloudy skies. Caught between a desire never to leave the house again and FOMO,1 I managed to get up into the foothills a couple of times to catch an unimpeded view of the sunset lighting up the clouds.
Walking around my neighborhood a few weeks ago, I saw a sunflower with a background of purple sage. There’s nothing I don’t totally love about sunflowers, but I especially love their green bracts.
On another evening, I was wandering around the neighborhood when I looked up and saw the leaves of a mimosa tree silhouetted against the sky. I stood under the tree for a while, trying to take the perfect photo, when the sun set and lit up the sky behind the leaves. Problem solved.
I went up to the Jemez a couple of times in the midst of the heat, and walked along different portions of the East Fork each time. The East Fork is my most favorite body of water in the entire world — even though it’s so small that calling it a “body of water” might easily be considered an overstatement.
There were lots of flying insects along the East Fork. Many were butterflies and dragonflies, but even more were out for blood. While fending off the latter, I noticed a pair of mating dragonflies on a blade of grass. They were each about 1-2 inches long and their tails were only 2-3mm in diameter.
The butterfly below posed for me, I swear it did, which is the only reason I took its photo.2 Initially I was sure it was a painted lady, which are a dime a dozen; I have gazillions of photos of them. But there it was, patiently waiting on lichens, no less, so I began taking photos of it.
As I crept closer to it, bit by bit, a play-by-play commentary was running through my mind: “It’s a beautiful butterfly, really pristine. Its colors are gorgeous — look at those blue eyespots. Wait, what?!? Painted ladies don’t have blue eyespots. Oh my gosh, there are scallops over those eyespots! It’s a west coast lady, not a painted lady!!!”3
West coast ladies are as uncommon as painted ladies are ubiquitous, and this one flew off just a few seconds after my epiphany. I was so grateful for her patient invitation to me.
FOMO: Millennial-speak for Fear Of Missing Out. I’ve been afflicted with it most of my life and am grateful there’s finally a term for it.
Butterflies posing for me is literally the stuff of my dreams.
Absolutely fabulous shots, Lisa. This is one of my favorite Everyday Magic gifts this year. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!