Summer Garden with Butterflies

One of the nicest parts about summer is seeing all the flowers in bloom.  Right now in my garden there are purple coneflowers, daisies, black-eyed Susans, bee balm, phlox and many other colorful flowers, all competing for space.  Along with these plants are some interesting visitors such as butterflies, along with bumblebees and honey bees.  One of my favorite herbs is lavender, and since there was so much rain this spring followed by sunshine they have really grown.  Here is an assortment from my garden on a sunny day.  I would have taken more pictures but I was chased away by a bee that didn’t want any humans around!

Garden visitor

Sunny day

Garden in July

Lavender

Butterfly visiting

A Garden Visitor

After visiting the Chelsea Flower Show in May I’ve been inspired to work on my own garden.  After all, who wouldn’t want a garden that looks like this?

Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show

So I’ve been tending my garden and the lavender, purple coneflowers, daisies, lemon balm, thyme and other herbs and flowers have really grown since I planted them last year.  There have been lots of bumblebees this summer but no butterflies until yesterday, when I saw a visitor among the flowers.

Among the flowers

A wonderful sight!

A visitor

 

The butterfly didn’t seem to mind that I was standing very close to get these pictures. Since I’d selected flowers for this garden that would attract bees, butterflies and songbirds, I was delighted to see such a colorful visitor.  Later I did some research and discovered that it’s a Tiger Swallowtail, and I hope it comes back many, many times!

A Day in the Mountains

A drive to the mountains near where I live seemed like a good adventure over the weekend.  After an hour of driving I started to see hills that soon turned into mountains.  When I got off the highway there was an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The morning was getting more and more interesting!  I decided to drive on it for a while and every couple of miles there was a lookout point.  I stopped, got out of the car and took a good look at the mountains.  It became breezy as the road ascended and I needed to wear a sweater as I looked out to see these panoramic views.

Peaceful lake

From a lookout spot

Informational sign

Panoramic view

Summer flowers

Since I also enjoy flowers I thought that these wildflowers were a charming part of the landscape.  The events of this day produced some wonderful memories.

Flowers for all Seasons

I’ve been thinking about this year and all the opportunities that I’ve had to see flowers while traveling.  It seems that each season features colorful and unique flowers.  Here are some of my favorites from the spring, summer, fall and winter.  It’s a nice way to remember the year!  I’m looking forward to the year ahead with new opportunities to travel as well as time to enjoy being near home.

I’ve noticed that spring and summer flowers are both bright and dainty:

Flowers in May

It’s spring!

Flowers for sale

Fresh spring color

Lilies

Day lily

Summer morning

Here are some interesting autumn and winter flowers:

Autumn garden

Early fall with bees…

Flowers in December

Cheery colors

Holiday flowers

I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Travel theme: Strong

I was walking down a side street in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, when I saw this gate.  The lock looked sturdy, old, and strong.  Not only was there a lock but also a chain.  I wondered how old it was or if it even worked anymore.  Maybe a large, ornate metal key would open it.

I realized that seeing this lock also had a strong impact on my imagination!

Have a look here for more information.

Travel theme: Meeting Places

When I think of a perfect meeting place in the summer, it would have to be somewhere that serves gelato.  This means it should be in Italy.  Here are some places I’d want to meet and get a refreshing gelato too.  See you there!

Impressive sign

A good place to meet

Another good choice

An outdoor meeting place

It is so difficult to choose…

 

For more examples look here.

 

On the Move

I’m still doing a lot of traveling in my local area.  Now that it is summer there are lots of outdoor places to see and enjoy.

flowers everywhere

in the mountains

a display

a serene view

When it’s time to cool off how about a refreshing pool for relaxing and maybe even taking a little nap…

As the title mentions there is an actual move involved.  I recently moved and have now settled in a house here in Virginia.  These are some of the flowers that are currently in bloom in my yard.

Travel theme: Still

When I think of this theme I remember my visit to Prince Edward Island, Canada.  During the time I was there (it was summer) the water was often calm and still.  Here are some of my favorite scenes from that trip.

Calm at sunset

Quiet afternoon…

Flowers on the beach

Cliff view

Along the shore

Summer Vacation

Taking a vacation in the summer is something I did with my family when I was growing up.  Everyone enjoyed the time off and I remember collecting seashells in my brightly colored pail and building sand castles at the beach.

Now I’m likely to take a vacation in May or sometime in the fall because the places I want to go are less crowded at those times.  I like to go somewhere that’s on my travel list and really explore.  Since I prefer not to travel when the weather is too hot I actually avoid the summer months.

a bench in Paris…

so many choices!

stop and have a look

Still, there’s something special about taking time off during the summer and relaxing by the water.  I have pleasant memories of being by the ocean and realizing that the biggest decision of the day is whether to have vanilla or chocolate ice cream.  This is actually quite difficult for me and I would probably have a scoop of both.

Summer and vacation go together well.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgic

When I was growing up my family would go to the beach during the summer.  Many times we would drive to Maine and spend the day swimming, collecting seashells and enjoying the beautiful weather.  My recollection is that the water never got very warm, even in August.  I’ve made this postcard as a nostalgic reminder of those sunny days along the shore.

watching a sailboat…

where is the beach?

the water is chilly

Greetings from Maine!