Archives for August 2018

I was in the garden minding my business stalking bees and butterflies when I noticed two monarchs flying around. When they both landed on a butterfly bush, I went over to check them out and take some pictures.

After watching them for a bit. I turned around to ask John a question and imagine my surprise when I turned back around and spotted this!

I yelled the monarchs are mating! to John and proceeded to give them zero privacy. But they didn’t seem to mind.

You know I almost died from the excitement of monarchs mating RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, IN MY GARDEN, ON MY BUTTERFLY BUSH. I took a zillion pictures and even a video (which I’m not sharing because there wasn’t any movement and all you can hear is me babbling about monarchs “doing it” because I’m mature like that).

At one point, they briefly switched positions. Or whatever monarchs do when they’re really getting into it, I guess.

Of course, in the middle of all this excitement, a hummingbird moth stopped by. It’s been a great year in the garden for these moths. While I don’t spot them daily, I have seen them a few times a week.

How does this story end? Hopefully there are monarch eggs on the milkweed in the garden. Time will tell!

Well really, just on Dasher. Specifically this blue dasher dragonfly perched on a garden stake near the koi pond. Very cool and sort of sci-fi.

It’s hard to pause in the garden this time of year. I’m always weeding or harvesting or planning for the fall or wondering what’s wrong with this plant or that plant or chasing butterflies like a madwoman.

But, when I do pause, I’m always astounded by what I see – like this very cool and sort of sci-fi dragonfly. We spent a few minutes checking each other out. I might have been more intrigued but you never know!