Jen's Nature Lens

 "Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne  This beautiful monarch butterfly flew in front of me yesterday while I was walking on a nature trail at Downs Park in Pasadena, Maryland. Quietly, I stood watching it for a few minutes as it fluttered from one milkweed flower to the next. These unique clustered flowers bloom throughout the summer months in North America. Milkweed is a vital host plant for monarch butterflies larvae (caterpillars) because they feed exclusively on milkweed leaves.  Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar "Embrace change, for it is the path to personal growth and transformation." Bumble bees are important, efficient pollinators of milkweed and they were busy accessing the nectar of these pretty pink, fragrant flowers alongside the monarchs. A couple of times I saw a hovering bumble bee flit out of the way when graced by delicate butterfly ...

 Today in the northern hemisphere, we welcome the summer solstice, known as the longest day and shortest night of the year. The sun is at its highest point in the sky because the earth's northern pole is at an axial tilt of 23.5-degree, and is at its closest point from the sun. Here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, on Friday, June 20th, the summer solstice will arrive at 10:42 p.m.  Willow Oak Tree (Quercus phellos) "One way of celebrating the Solstice is to consider it a sacred time of reflection, release, restoration, and renewal." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach Around 6:30 p.m. this evening, I arrived in Pasadena for a mindful nature walk. The first thing I noticed when I stepped onto the park trail was the sound of black crows cawing into the air and as I walked closer to the area, I spotted the crows perched on Sweet Gum trees known by their prominent star shaped leaves. Maybe the crows were having a quarrel or they could have been cheering on the jet skiers p...