Flower Friday

With many thanks to BikerBear/Anni for continuing to host Flower Friday, here is my humble submission.  And, yes, of course I had to include something extra!

The flower is a wild rhododendrum and the butterfly is a Black Swallowtail.  Both were seen during a most enjoyable walk at High Point State Park with my naturalist group this morning.  We saw/heard quite a nice assortment of birds, including singing waterthrush, blackburnian and Canada warblers.  But it was some of the beautiful flowers in the Kuser bog area that stole the show for me.  

This particular trail is always a reliable spot to see the somewhat rare Pink Lady Slippers (a type of orchid) in the spring and also a place where, if one is very lucky, one can see a rarer Painted Trilium.  Either would have been a good choice for today's FF, but I liked this one, even if its not the best shot.

I am happy to report that my jaw/mouth are feeling almost normal now.  I took an ibuprofen/tylenol combo last night and this morning, but nothing since around 8 this morning.  So, yay for the dentist and yay for me!

We are rolling into a three day weekend (or bank holiday as you folks across the pond call it).  I'm planning to do some gardening tomorrow.  I have a crabapple tree that I got at a very good price that desperately needs to be liberated from it's pot, so that's on the agenda.  Also, time to layer in some annual seeds in my big pollinator garden.  Also have to dig up a buddleia which, sadly and after many years, seems to have died.  Rather odd as they are very hardy and long-lived.  Then, grilled burgers with our neighbors which will be great fun.

Happy weekend, people.

xo
Debbi