Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Dewberry, Green & Gold, and Lyre-leaved Sage


Butterflies were out in force yesterday, along with spiders, ants, stinkbugs, and unfortunately, gnats. The irritants stayed away as long as the gentle breeze blew in my face. As soon as it stopped the gnats attacked. The first time I sat to draw the Green & Gold growing in with ferns on a north bank next to Meetinghouse Creek, the gnats were so bad I had to pack my bag and run uphill to find a breeze. Whew! There I picked out a Dewberry bloom to draw. Then moved to a Lyre-leaved Sage, but Duke came and sat on it. I found another, drawing until the breeze died again and gnats came back. I jumped up, and headed home only to find I could not pass the Green & Gold without drawing it, no matter what. Luck was on my side. After I sat to draw, a breeze came. Bugs came to visit and crawled across my page, along stems and in leaf-litter. Tufted Titmice started calling nearby, chiva! chiva! chiva! and a twelve-spotted Dragonfly buzzed me.

Other flowers blooming: Blue Star, Cinquefoil, Bluets, Toadflax, Yellow Wood Sorrell. Butterflies I saw" Zebra Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Red-Spotted Purple, Spring Azure, Painted Lady, and Juvenal's Duskywing. Baby oaks are leafing out along the edge of the woods.




Toadflax



Baby oak leaves



A nice shot of Daisy



Duke sitting in the flowers