We have a couple of Chinese Lilacs and this year they are especially beautiful. Last year I discovered a few caterpillars in my garden eating my dill plants. I did not kill them but made sure they were safe. Perhaps this year they are thanking me for my kind act, because every day for the past week our Lilacs were visited by a number of Monarchs. They fluttered back and forth all day long, flitting from one flower to another, feeding on the sweet nectar. Today I didn't see any, but there are other butterflies there now.
I tried to take pictures, but the butterflies don't sit still for long. Below are two of the best ones I managed to get. Perhaps with a better camera I might have gotten more pictures. I would have liked one with their wings spread, but the only one I got is blurry.
The following picture of the Monarch was borrowed from this site: http://www.gbbr.ca/our-environment/species-at-risk/insects/monarch-butterfly/
Last week I saw the first hummingbird on our feeder. The American Finches have been here for a few weeks now and they come to feed on the finch feeder, but they also feed on the feeders meant for other birds. It brings us great joy to watch them drink from the bird baths. Some years we've had them build their nests in our hedge. I don't know where they are nesting this year, but they are nearby.
We also get regular visits from Robins, Bluejays, and Red-winged Blackbirds. Once in awhile a crow may even land in the birdbath and make a big spectacle. Last year they were raising young somewhere close and one of them came all the time to dunk pieces of buns into the water. Of course, the noise they made was sometimes too much. So far we haven't seen any Magpies, but I'm sure they'll be around.
Let's not forget the sparrows that come every day. They have built nests in our Martin house and are regular house-guests. We don't mind, because the sparrows stay here through the winter. They are our loyal friends.
The Martins come to check out the house in the early Spring but never stay. Today we had a couple fly around the birdhouse. Perhaps it's not so bad they don't stay, because they were quite noisy.
A couple of weeks ago we had two tiny rabbits hiding under the cedars. And the parents came to visit also. The rabbits are cute, the only problem is they do too much damage. They ate some of the new growth on the shrubs. One year one rabbit ate all of my purple beans when they were just a couple of inches high. The beans never came back. I had to put new seeds into the ground. That's were my hospitality ends. Rabbits are not welcome. We are bird people.
There is beauty in nature. One only has to pay attention and look for it.
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