Saturday 26 July 2008

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.

5 comments:

  1. Nige, Neozephyrus quercus, I can see the Neo and the Quercus, what is the zephyrus connection. Good day for garden activities, this morning we have been able to re occupy our breakfast area, had to evacuate to allow the blackbirds to carry on parenting in the nest they had build in the wisteria, three feet from our heads. Two chicks successfully reared.

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  2. Nige, from now on, in my mind at least, you are characterised by that line:

    'My friends, it was a Purple Hairstreak!'

    There can be nothing wrong with the world so long as men still make phrases like that.

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  3. A butterfly benediction. I'm sure your day will be blessed, Nige. Enjoy it....

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  4. Congratulations, Nige. I trust the remainder of the day was just as wonderful.

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  5. Thanks Frank. Sadly the rest of the day was not good, though I did in the course of it have the pleasure of seeing two Peacocks and two Commas, so it wasn't all lost...

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