Delicate and light, constantly in motion, mesmerizing and beautiful – these are the words that come to my mind in describing the Blooming Butterfly exhibit at Como Park. Yesterday morning’s gray and cool weather provided the perfect conditions for a photographer’s visit to the exhibit. The lack of sunshine and temps in the low 60’s allowed the butterflies to rest and not be as active as when the sun is bright and the air is warm. The exhibit is filled with butterflies from Asia, Africa, North and South America, although only one of these can be found native to Minnesota. Some are bright with multi colors, others are one or two colors, but beautiful just this same. This Paper Kite butterfly settled among the bright flowers and rested, as if posing for this photograph.
Minnesota
Light and shadow play
I was at the McNeely Conservatory at Como Park the other day and found myself mesmerized by the palms. They’re towering and huge but this day the sun was filtering through the dome and creating some imaginative shadow and light plays. Part of it reminded me of puppet shows we used to create when we were children. I found myself trying to make up stories as to what was going on. This image seemed to be of a flock of birds at the bottom; others weren’t as abstract as this. Either way, the lines, the colors, the shadows, and the light all came together amongst the palms.
Purple petunias
It’s summer today – hot, humid and muggy. But in the shade in our backyard I got lost in some everyday petunias. With their bright purple and white they add welcome color to the summer greens and yellows. I began photographing the mass of petunias, but as I got in closer I was captured by their fragile thin petals that blossom out from small stems of green. Their stickiness and tiny hairs catch any small bugs that are near. The blossoms are short-lived and will be shriveled tomorrow and dry by the next, but they are a beautiful burst of color and joy when it’s their moment to shine.
Basking in the sun
On a recent bicycle ride through the countryside, I saw this common scene – freshly cut hay bales scattered across a field, blue sky and clouds overhead. Here in Minnesota we’ve had more than our usual amount of rain, leaving the landscape lush and green. The hay harvest has been done and appears to be plentiful. Unfortunately some of our neighboring states have been battling severe drought, decimating their hay fields and other crops. Like the help that was given earlier this year to farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma, many people are offering their hay to those suffering in North and South Dakota that have none. A wonderful reminder of the good that takes place and yet is often overlooked.
A summer sunset by a city lake
August began as it should, sunny and hot – the epitome of a Minnesota summer’s day. The perfect ending to an August day is a lake and ice cream. We were lucky enough to have both the lake and a DQ close by in the Cities. As kids played in the water by the swimming beach, we noticed more and more people coming to the lake as the sunset approached. A storm was developing to the northwest and the clouds began to move in, but luckily they held off long enough for the sun to give up a last hurrah, light up the sky and clouds, and reflect its brilliant colors in the surface of the lake. A group cruised by on their pontoon boat as we sat on a bench and enjoyed our ice cream, the cool breeze coming off the lake, and the beauty of the day’s end.
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