Morning, Garden...

I had intended to take a break from everything today - even blogging - but there I was, sitting in the garden in the sunshine, having watered the thirstier plants and prepared a light late breakfast, when a dark unfamiliar butterfly came fluttering down onto a columbine leaf, where it unrolled its hair-fine proboscis and set about drinking the drops of water that were still shining on the leaves. My friends, it was a Purple Hairstreak! I had never seen this dark and subtle beauty in my garden before, though often in oakwoods, where it tends to fly high up in the canopy, but sometimes comes down lower. This one kept me enthralled for several minutes as it methodically drank, keeping its wings folded at first, rubbing them slightly against each other, as if in enjoyment. Then, having drunk its fill, it opened them and basked briefly before taking off. A joyful, elating - and wholly unexpected - encounter.