Unwelcome Visitor

Cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae.

There have been very few butterflies this season, but a nearby brassica crop has attracted the cabbage whites.  Enough time has elapsed for a whole new generation to emerge, and now they are flocking to the flowers in my garden.  I hope they have just come to sip nectar and not to lay their eggs.

The flower is sage.


Sad to hear today of the death of Ralph Hotere, one of our greatest artists.  He was my favourite.  I recall the experience of viewing several of his black paintings in different sizes and forms, including huge canvasses hanging in the gallery.  I loved the subtlety in the dark pictures. Here is the most extensive collection of his work that I can find.  If you look at only one make it Black Painting for Robert Creeley. This probably resonates with me because sitting on the floor at Creeley's feet, listening to him read and talk was another memorable experience for me.