FAIRY RINGS AND FRITTILARIES

Fairy ring.

Male and female Diana fritillaries.

Diana fritillary larva.

 August is the time for fritillaries and fairy rings. Both are present in our wild garden. Diana fritillaries, so have the distinction of being dimorphic. That is, it occurs in two different form. The female's wings are a velvety black marked  with a  shimmering blue dice-like  pattern (fritillus means dice box in Latin) and the male's are  a gorgeous black and tawny wings  Their  larvae  feed on violet leaves. Adults feed on the nectar of milkweed. I have seem them noshing on crepe myrtle, clover, and echinacea. They live for four to five months and those of us who lucky enough to live in Appalachian bottom lands can expect to see them at their meal time, mid-afternoon.
Fairy rings are not as beautiful as butterflies. All the same, their earth bound beauty is remarkable when observed at close quarters. Our garden erupts with fungi of greater visual impact, such as the dreaded  Dead Man's finger. It also harbors inkycaps, the bane of drinkers of alcohol. We allowed our most recent fairy ring to deacy, not knowing that its 'shrooms, much as inkycaps, are edible.We will not make that mistake again.

"She's like the swallow that flies so high,

She's like the river that never runs dry,

She's like the sun that shines on the lee shore..."

Newfoundland folk song

SHE'S LIKE THE SWALLOW
Tiger swallowtail butterfly in the garden, this morning, along with pearl crescent, skippers and cabbage whites. The latter proved too quick for my digital Olympus. I shall have to set up the Nikon on a tripod if I want to catch them at lunch.

Another Canova at the Villa d'Este, Cernobbio.
Villa D'Este hotel

The three above are not my photos, but once I saw a similar statue of Cupid and Psyche in the garden of a posh hotel in Europe. I remember it well.



Buzzy bee and friend.






Skipper.





Two skippers.

Spicebush swallowtail

IN THE PINK

The pink zinnias have become the most popular drinking spot for the winged jewels in my garden.

Above, pearl crescent butterflies on echinacea.

One of the few sunflowers to survive Bambi's depredations

Rhodocrosite, coin pearls and fabricated 925 silver and keishi pearl flower pendant, 925 findings.

Gold Keishi pearls, topaz and bronzite necklace, 925 findings.. Mazie doat Jack.

Curious Jack.

Two bees or not to bees...

Flutterby

LA VIRGINIE PROFONDE

We have been there, visiting friends who own a Victorian farmhouse, goats, peach and apple trees, and a pond complete with snapping turtle. They gave us us gave us a gorgeous lunch, good conversation, a story about the Confederate ghosts who haunts their house, and a peek into a way of life to which we would like to become accustomed--particularly the goatie part.
We found a buyer for a bronzite and rhodocrosite necklaces, which would have been cause for celebration had we home not lost Junior's cell phone somewhere in deepest Virginia. Result, Junior gets a new cell phone and my wallet gets leaner by a hundred dollars. At this rate, I had better make more jewelry. Fast.