The Welcoming Committee

When I pulled into the driveway this afternoon I was greeted by the sight of several big butterflies on one of my butterfly bushes. That was enough to lift my spirits considerably! After I got in and greeted the cats, checked the mail, and took a breath, I went out back to see enjoy the patio/garden. In addition several big beautiful eastern tiger swallowtails, I found this gorgeous monarch floating around the garden. What a beauty! And, given the rather dire status of monarchs in N. America, this creature was more than worthy of a blip. Seen here resting on our cherry tree, proboscis curled.

Four other shots starting HERE on Flickr - another shot of the monarch, a swallowtail, and two hummers welcoming me home.

It was a great weekend, capped off by dinner last night outside on the inter-coastal waterway in Redington Beach, followed by a walk on the beach. Hubs will be here next Thursday, which made saying goodbye this morning a little easier. We are in agreement that living apart sucks. And our plan is not to do this again!

Thank you for stopping by. And for all who left comments and stars during the past few days, thank you! I shall endeavor to get caught up this week...

Happy Monday,
Debbi

PS: And, fortunately, before I went out this evening to bring the bird feeders in, I spotted the black bear on the patio. Short video clip of him knocking back some dried mealworms HERE I am now down 3 bird feeders and one bird fountain. And the damned bear is just in the woods behind the house. Grrrr.