Flawless Beauty

Beauty on Beauty
There you were in the middle of my shot
Resting on a petal sunning yourself
Surfing all that beauty
Drowning in light
Reflecting every minute detail
Flawless yet simple
Elegant
An engineering work of infinitesimal design
A gift from the creator of all wonders
The image of excellence
Beauty on beauty

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Caterpillars to Butterflies

The Monarchs are reproducing in my zinnia garden at the side of the hose. Last week, I discovered a chrysalis attached to the siding. When my grandson came to visit, he and his grandma found some others along the bottom edge of the siding. A couple were already empty. Today I saw the caterpillar above looking for a place to attach. When I went back later I could not find it. The chrysalises we found were in different stages of development. One was emerging from the shell.  A couple had already hatched out and flown away. I am excited to find this many monarchs, even though the caterpillars stripped the leaves from my milkweed plants.

Caterpillars eat

Milkweed leaves disappearing

Fall butterflies hatch

Chrysalis shells split open

Monarchs’  migration ready

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

 

Bees & Butterflies of Summer

Butterflies and bees are back again, enjoying all my colorful zinnias. Even the humming bird could not resist. It is wonderful to see them flitting from flower to flower, not worried in the least that I am standing among them taking their photos.

Flower magnets draw

Summer bees and butterflies

Beauty on beauty

 

 

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

 

 

Memories of Summer

Fragile wings glowing

Butterflies sucking nectar

Summer memories

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

The Old Man of the Mountain

Grandfather Mountain

The Blue Ridge Parkway yields panoramic views

Rising and falling through majestic hues

Turnoffs, overlooks, tunnels, and bridges

Orchards of apples and long gorgeous ridges

Grandfather Mountain towers ahead

Drawing us up to its jaw-dropping ledge

Serpentine backbone a scoliated spine

Split Rock lay open and wrapped in vines

The bald rocks the twisted trees

Bask carefree in the summer breeze

Hurricane-force winds cannot rip them loose

Deformed over time by Nature’s abuse

Excited to be at the top of the world

Here where branches and trunks are curled

Blooming flowers defy the wind

Smiling sweetly until the very end

Feeling the sway of the long steel bridge

Looking up in the distance at the neighboring ridge

A rocky pathway draws some to his face

The old man of the mountain stays fixed in his place

Undaunted by storms or gray fog rolling in

He’ll still be there when our vision grows dim

Creating the mystique that continues to draw

Young and old from near and far

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth

 

Fall Monarchs

This morning while filling my bird feeder, I saw two beautiful monarchs on my fading zinnias. They must have lost their map on their way to Mexico!  They were so beautiful with deep orange and black colors. I thought my zinnias were finished a month ago, but I left them grow as they fell over onto the fence.  Surprisingly they kept on blooming, even with a white dusty mold that came on their leaves. In another week we will likely get a heavy frost that will finish them off.  Here is a taste of the late summer beauty I saw. Poetry without words!    Photos: Dwight L. Roth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall Beauty

Fall beauty is all around. Although it has not rained here in three weeks my zinnias keep on blooming. They are appreciated by the butterflies and moths that stop by for a taste of their sweet nectar.  Yesterday a monarch was on my butterfly bush. Today I saw this beautiful butterfly moving from flower to flower. It is called Gulf Fritillary and is common in North Carolina So I got my camera for another round of poetry in motion. Enjoy the show! No words needed!

 

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

 

 

 

Saturday Visitors

A new swallowtail came by today. It is different from the one I had a couple of weeks ago. That one had a chunk out of its wingtip. It was interesting to watch as it flitted from flower to flower. The sun was washing out some of the yellow in its wings but they are still beautiful.

Along with the swallowtail were a little flock of finches that stopped to eat at my feeder.

The bumble bee has been steadily working on the Cosmos flowers in my garden.

 

 

 

 

Barley and Butterflies

On the farm near our community are several large fields of barley. The fields extend as far as the eye can see. It is a beautiful site. Years ago when I worked on the farm, we called it beardy barley, because of the long hair like stems coming out of each kernel. The spring storms have really taken their toll on the fields. The wind and rain had beaten down large areas of some fields.

I stopped by one field to take some photos and saw a beautiful butterfly along the edge of the field. I am not sure what it is called. Perhaps you can let me know  The beauty of nature is often beyond words. Adding words often detracts instead of adding to what is seen. The follow photos are my poetry without words.

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

 

 

Butterfly Delight

Poetry Without Words…

Photos: Dwight L. Roth