Sunday, August 22, 2010

My Buddy, the Lopsided Swallowtail

This is my little friend, the lopsided Tiger Swallowtail. I've noted three unique tigers this year, they all have different markings and shapes of the stripes, but this one is missing part of it's lower right wing. You have to look really closely, click it to enlarge, but the lower right wing is missing it's distinctive lobe that identifies him as a swallowtail. The left lobe is dark and tends to blend in with the leaves, but it's there. This happy little butterfly has no idea he's not perfect. And for that reason, he's perfect to me. If we all could be as uncaring about the little things and as happy as he is.

He is a totally happy creature, flitting from one zinnia to another, bursting upwards several feet, then catching some air and hovers, then flits back down to another flower. He checks out the cucumber flowers and the tomato flowers and the sunflowers, but seems to prefer the zinnias. I swear I can hear him singing in a Bert Lahr type of voice, "Oh there's a pretty red one, Oh THERE's a pretty yellow one, Oh My, Oh My, There's a pretty orange one, I was just there, Oh I want to try them all, Oh there's another red one..." He didn't even care this morning how many photos of him I took, although I couldn't get too close. Then I swore he sounded like Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, "If I only had some c-c-c-ourage I could try that yellow one near that nosey guy! Oh there's a pretty pink one!"

This is the 'new' part of the yard that was cleared this spring. We've had such a dry summer, that it's apparent that we'll need to reseed in the fall and probably in the spring again to get the grass to come in strongly. I think the lawn is probably cut too often for the weather conditions, but the landscapers have to eat too. They just cut the lawn and trim the large shrubs, I take care of all of the flowerbeds and potted plants.

10 comments:

  1. I SIT HERE THIS MORNING WAITING FOR 11 O'CLOCK CHURCH SERVICE ON TV.AND GOING THROUGH YOUR BEAUTIFUL PICTURES THINKING HOW CAN ANYONE NOT BELIEVE IN GOD THE CREATOR. THE BIG BANG,LOL SURE. CASEY, YOUR PROOF THAT THERE IS A GOD. SOMETHING OR SOMEONE DESIGNED ALL THIS BEAUTY. SURE, MAYBE AFTER DESIGNING THERE WAS A BIG BANG. MAYBE THIS IS HOW IT ALL HAPPEN. WE'LL NEVER KNOW FOR SURE. A BIG MYSTERY. I'D LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT MY GOD PUT YOU HERE TO DO WHAT YOUR DOING TO BRING JOY TO SOME OF US AS WE SLIPPED INTO YOUR WORLD. I MAY NOT BE PUTTING THIS INTO THE WORDS I WANT BUT I THINK YOU CAN GET THE DRIFT OF WHAT I'M SAYING.KEEP DOING WHAT YOUR DOING. GOD GAVE YOU A WONDERFUL GIFT AND I FOR ONE AM HAPPY TO COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE FOR A SHORT PERIOD.

    GRANNY

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  2. MY OH MY I LOVE THE PICTURE OF THE POST, BUTTERFLY AND FLOWER. PERFECT PICTURE. I'LL TAKE TWO. ONE FOR ME AND ONE TO MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY.WHAT AN EYE FOR ALL THIS BEAUTY.
    GRANNY

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  3. I might have overdone the butterfly pics today, but I'll be looking at them this winter when it's snowing!

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  4. KEEP THE BUTTERFLY PICTURES COMING. I LOVE THEM. I ASK GRAMPS THIS MORNING IF HE LIKED BUTTERFLIES AND HE SAID YUP.
    THE ONE WITH A PIESE OF THE WING TAIL MISSING , YOU TOOK A PICTURE OF HIM BEFORE. REMEMBER?

    GRANNY

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  5. yes I did. I find it interesting that I can identify individual butterflies now from their markings. It's just like a show I watch on TV about sharks. The scientists keep a book of photos of the various sharks they tag and see, and can ID them from year to year from scars and unique marks on their bodies. It makes the world seem smaller when you notice individual creatures like this instead of lumping them all together. At least I think so.

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. Why don't I see any of these little nature treats around me? I think the landscapers are using too many chemicals and I know the county sprayed from above for Wes Niles, Even the locust's are silent this year.
    Well, I guess that' why Casey's site is so popular for trapping nature at it's glory. Keep up the work buddy
    and never let anyone get in your way!!!!!

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  8. Marius? is the 'author' you? or is it me? I didn't delete anything here on purpose! I don't think I've ever deleted a comment, sorry if i did accidentally! -casey


    Thanks Woody. There are condos on either side of this property and they spray pesticides. We're a chemical free property though, everything we use has to be organic or otherwise safe for critters. Maybe that's why we get the pretty things here that we do. The condos use weedkillers too, which really bothers me. Weeds are, for the most part, wildflowers people aren't crazy about. It's the lazy man's way of controlling yards. I'd rather spend the money on pulling up the weeds they don't like instead of using chemicals, but that's me! and thankfully, my friend Mark that owns this property.

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  9. No Casey, I deleted it. It was very silly.

    I was on a sugar high.

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  10. cool! no problem. i just wanted to make sure my evil twin wasn't out again, lol.

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