Butterflies & Bumblebees

 "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 wings. 

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." ~ Maya Angelou

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterlfy on Black-eyed Susan Maryland's official state flower.

Butterflies bring joy to life as expressed in this lovely poem by William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

To a Butterfly 

by William Wordsworth

I've watched you now, a full half-hour,

Self-poised upon that yellow flower;

And, little butterfly! Indeed

I know not if you sleep or feed.

How motionless!- not frozen seas

More motionless! and then

What joy awaits you, when the breeze

Hath found you out among the trees,

And calls you forth again!

This plot of orchard-ground is ours;

My trees they are, my Sister's flowers;

Here rest your wings when they are weary;

Here lodge as in a sanctuary!

Come often to us, fear no wrong;

Sit near us on the bough!

We'll talk of sunshine and of song;

And summer days, when we were young,

Sweet childish days, there were as long

As twenty days are now. 

Common Buckeye Butterfly on Purple Coneflower

Exploring the World Day-by-Day; Capturing Nature's Wondrous Display! ~Jen

Despite the differences that exist between political, cultural, religious, or national values, we all share the common need for a healthy, clean, sustainable global environment.

All photos were taken in Maryland, USA.