Tiger Swallowtail on Rhododendron

The rhododendron blooms arrive in waves. First come the bright pink ones out front, with some of the blooms nearly as big as dinner plates. Then there is a parade of purple along the side of the house. And in the end, the palest of pinks appear, in the vegetation along the deck out back.

It was Friday, the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend in the U.S. I was sitting in the yard in the morning with my book and my camera, watching for hummingbirds. It was a nice day and in the afternoon, we would eventually go for our first swim of the year at Bald Eagle State Park, after eating a pair of pretty fine Italian hoagies from Jim's in Bellefonte.

But for now, things were pretty quiet. I spotted a tiger swallowtail, which flittered all around the yard and finally landed. I raced over with my camera to find that it was sitting on one of the pale pink blooms. I snapped three photos before it disappeared: up, up, and away. This one was my best shot.

The soundtrack: Ben E. King and the Drifters, with This Magic Moment.