Butterflies and Hummingbirds

 

Saturday morning, after a restless night due to RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), I headed outdoors with cup of coffee in hand to gaze upon the beauty that resides there.  I'm continually amazed that all I do is plant seeds and everything grows without my assistance.  The butterfly weed that came up voluntarily from seeds that dropped from plants that grew last year is now doing what I intended it to do -- supporting the Monarch butterfly caterpillars.  Butterfly weed is a member of the milkweed family and thus is sought out by Monarch butterflies, which lay their eggs on the plants.  The tiny caterpillars were barely 1/16 of an inch long when I first found them, but some are now fully grown, their bodies round and fat with pale green, white and black stripes.  The striking feature about the caterpillars is two black antennae at the head and also at the end of their bodies, which makes them undesirable to predators such as birds.  As they grow, they eat the butterfly weed and strip the leaves down to the thick stems, leaving dark, round droppings behind as they work their way down the plant.  It's an amazing process to observe.  Soon, they'll simply disappear and chrysalize, and hopefully I'll be able to locate those and show you what an incredibly beautiful thing they are, even at that stage. 

I tried to attach a video depicting what greeted me Saturday morning, filling my eyes with beauty, easing my frustration at my lack of sleep, and refreshing my soul.  As I filmed the butterflies and caterpillars, a hummingbird came to the feeder a few feet from where I stood and delighted me by allowing me to capture it on the camera.  A real treat for sure!  But the video was too long to upload.  So I went out and took a shorter version, and I didn't know I had captured a very brief passing of a hummingbird until I watched the video.  Our yard is a stage for dancing butterflies, which flutter and play with each other in the breeze, and darting hummingbirds, which zoom about at near supersonic speed, chasing each other as each tries to lay claim to the feeder.  After waiting for well over an hour for a short 3.5 minute video to upload, again it failed.  I'll have to figure out why.

So please enjoy the attached photos, and may you find rest and relaxation in the beauty of God's creation.

Confusion!

I continually see time written like this:  12:00 AM and 12:00 PM.  How do you interpret that?  Is 12 AM the high noon hour, the official end of the morning? Or is it the middle of the night?  And is 12 PM the high noon hour or the middle of the night?  I do not know why people continually use those designations for time because they simply are incorrect.  Just as we've become slack in our grammar, spelling and punctuation (in part due to the computer), we've become slack and incorrect in writing time.  It is 12 Noon and 12 Midnight -- it's that simple.  Why do we make things so complicated?  Any feedback here? 

In the name of Progress

During the last several months, I've watched beautiful wooded land destroyed as heavy machinery tore it down in a few days.  Why?  For a new toll road through Research Triangle Park.  What was once lovely woods, comprised mostly of the pines that grow so easily and aggressively here in North Carolina, is now nothing but bare soil and dust.  I, along with others in my office and building, have watched the process of what I call 'raping our land' in order to construct another highway.  Vast amounts of land are consumed throughout our country for this purpose, but I can't complain because I drive on those same roads.  But why is so much territory destroyed for roadways?  Why is all the land in a cloverleaf formation deforested?  Why can't some of that area be left 'natural'?  Not being an engineer, I guess I just don't see the sense of so much destruction, which is then covered over with either cement or asphalt, which in turn generates more heat into our atmosphere.

Today, and almost every day, our building was shaken by another blast at the construction site to dislodge the rock in the earth.  Sometimes there is no warning, and when the building shakes violently for two or three seconds, it can be a bit unnerving.  After today's blast, I quickly stepped from my desk and glanced down the hallway, where the large windows allowed a view of the dust cloud that arose from the blast site.  Later, the huge earthmoving equipment effortlessly scooped up mounds of earth and rock and dumped it into awaiting trucks, where it landed with a thunderous thump, and which then carried it off to another part of the construction zone to be added there.  My lunch hour, which I spend sitting in my car to escape the frigidity of my office, is now accompanied by the endless drone of machinery.  This goes on for hours every day, and slowly the earth is reshaped and configurated into the new roadway.

When  the tree removal first started, I wondered about all of the creatures that called that forest 'home' -- the squirrels, snakes, birds, racoons, opossums, deer, hawks and owls -- where were they to go?  How many were killed by the machinery as it destroyed their habitat?  Would their habitat be replaced?  No.  Instead, they were displaced and had to search for new homes, and when deer invade new developments, whose fault is it?  Humans continually destroy and move into wildlife habitats and then wonder why deer eat their prized plants! 

I understand that development is necessary, but I also think that less destruction is possible.  With more careful planning, I think more trees and natural areas could be saved.  The development where I live was clear cut -- not one tree was left standing except in the low-lying flood plain which abuts our property.  I love that area because there are tall trees in it, vines, shrubs, flowering trees and wild honeysuckle.  Hawks still live there, as do deer (fortunately, they haven't, for some strange reason, discovered my yard), opossums, birds, and countless frogs that live in the watershed.  The development where my daughter lives was not clear cut, and the neighbor behind her has a huge oak tree that must be at least 75 years old.  It provides shade for both of their yards and hosts many birds and squirrels, which continually raid her bird feeders!  When I first moved to North Carolina, I lived in an apartment complex that was constructed about 25 years ago, and the developers left large areas natural, creating parking and roads around them, and the result was so much nicer than those developed now, where the buildings are packed tightly together in a beehive construction, leaving no room for anything other than a few small trees. 

Tomorrow I'll return to work, entering the parking lot at the back entrance which used to be surrounded by trees but which is now barren except for a few boulders that are too large for even the mighty hydraulic earth-moving equipment to lift, and again watch the rape of the land, all in the name of progress.  It was much prettier to look out the window at work before this began and, even after its completion and landscaping, the area will never match what grew naturally.  Sometimes I wonder if progress is really progress at all. 

Celebrations

Saturday we celebrated another milestone for another grandchild -- Wilson turned two years old on the 12th of August.  His greatgrandfather on his mother's side turned 81 on August 14, so we had a combined party for people that were 79 years apart -- less two days -- in age!  Opting to hold the party so Wilson's greatgrandparents didn't have to drive meant having it at the senior retirement center where they live in Raleigh.  Earlier in the day, Bob and I had shopped for the birthday boy, choosing pajamas and a large wagon that could dump its contents and which also came with building blocks.  Knowing full well that Cooper, who is Wilson's cousin and older by five months, would be playing with the same toys as they spend hours together every day, we could envision the fun the boys would have with that wagon.  We only hope that it can withstand their rough play! 

So with much anticipation, Bob and I pulled ourselves away from yard and house work (which can always wait until another time) and drove to Raleigh, where we met all the extended family in a room that was too small to accomodate everyone.  Notwithstanding the fact that there were four toddlers running around and three greatgrandparents in attendance, everyone managed to squeeze and shuffle around the huge table in the center of the room as camers flashed, the cake (which was made by Wilson's dad's mother and looked like a baseball -- too cute!) was cut, the traditional song sung, and presents were opened.  Goodies were consumed at an alarming rate, and I'm pretty certain that the mothers of those toddlers had kids running on sugar highs for the rest of the day.  One of the workers at the facility obliged us and took a group shot of everyone, but I do think that a few managed to hide in the back behind everyone -- we'll have to take a closer look at the photo when it's downloaded to the computer to be sure -- and I do think that maneuver was intentional! 

At one point, the greatgrandfather celebrating his 81st birthday turned to my mother-in-law who is 87 and said, "You're the oldest one here, so you're responsible for this entire mess!"  What a hoot! 

A brief moment of panic ensued when Wilson's parents couldn't find him when things were breaking up.  After about three or four minutes of frantic searching, he was found with his Aunt Jill, taking things to the car.  A huge sigh of relief escaped everyone when he was found, and all was well.  As we said our goodbyes and got in our car for the trip home, I again realized how important family is -- that's what life is all about, really.  We'd recently celebrated the birthdays of my son's two children, Niland and Ben, born 2 years and 1 day apart, and even though Wilson is my husband's blood grandchild, he's still part of my family.  Every family weaves its own tapestry, sings its own song, and dances its own dance; no two are identical, and it's that uniqueness that makes each and every one special.  God invented the family and established it as the backbone of any society, and we must do everything we can to promote its well-being, protect it, defend it, and participate in it for the sake of our children and grandchildren.  I can assure you that life passes all too quickly and that, even though you may be young now, you'll be my age before you know it and your children will be grown with children of their own.  So let's all make a point to celebrate the family, to celebrate life, and to celebrate every success and every milestone.  God came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly, and that means that we are to live it to the fullest that we can through him by enjoying all that he's given us -- and family is a gift from God.  Go ahead -- celebrate!

Rest and Relaxation

Vacations -- we all take them and love them, but oh, the misery of returning to work!  Part of my vacation last week was spent at the beach with my daughter, Dori, her husband, John, and their two children, Luke and Cami.  We went to Ocean Isle where we rented a condo for the week.  As many of you know, buildings close to the ocean are built atop huge timbers to prevent them from flooding in case of storm surge during a hurricane, so even though we were on the second floor of the building, it was really the third floor, and we had to climb two sets of stairs, 16 steps in each set, every time we went up or down.  I haven't a clue as to how many times in a day we climbed those 32 steps, but I do know that my legs felt it, yet the exercise felt good!  Our bodies are made to move and work, and because I sit at a desk all day, moving and working is what I do when I get away from that desk. 

The back of the condo unit was adjacent to a small man-made lagoon enclosed by brush almost around  its entire circumference.  From the vantage point of the elevated deck, we could see turtles -- very big ones -- covered with algae swimming just under the water's surface.  Their heads appeared often, resembling tips of branches poking from the water.  Some of the turtles were as large as dinner plates, and they got fed by people who were as intrigued by them as we were.  At night, the lagoon became a chorus of frogs, thrumping and croaking out a deafening song which then slowly faded into silence, only to resume a few moments later into a cacaphonic symphony.  Closed windows were a necessity for sleep!

We experienced thunderstorms, sunshine, heat and humidity during our time at the beach, and we thoroughly enjoyed the waves.  Despite my advancing years, I still love to ride a boogey board on a good wave all the way to the beach, and when I catch a good one and end up stranded on the sand, I notice the strange looks of others at this white-haired lady doing such a thing!  Is there a rule that I can't?  Absolutely not!  So I'll continue enjoying boogey-boarding until I no longer can!  Cami and I spent many minutes riding the waves as they surged toward us, and when they broke before reaching her, Cami would dive under them.  Even though she's only 8 years old, she's a very good swimmer and loves the ocean.  Dori, Cami and I were at the beach for 3 hours on Monday (the males had gone fishing), and I do believe Cami was in the water all but 15 minutes of that time! 

Sand, sun, surf -- all part of our wonderful world!  Standing on the edge of the ocean as the waves washed over my feet and then retreated, leaving me sinking in their wake, I realized that there are mysteries to our earth and universe that will never be understood during my lifetime -- and maybe never understood.  How does the ocean swell so beautifully and then rage into a relentless storm that destroys?  How does life exist in the ocean's depths without sun or heat?  How do creatures of the deep exist in such depths?  How does magma burn inside the earth where there's neither fuel nor oxygen?  And the sun -- how does it burn without the aid of oxygen in the vastness of space?  So many things I ponder when I'm in the natural world -- a world without concrete, buildings, air-conditioning, walls, and ceilings.  God lights up the sky at night, but how many of us actually go outside during the dark and gaze up at his marvelous heavens, which show his love for us?  I think most people have lost touch with the earth that God created and, because of that, no longer see the need for taking care of and protecting our precious, fragile environment.

Next time you go outside, take off your shoes, walk in the grass, lie down on it, watch the clouds pass by, inspect a flower (if you have any in your yard), find an earth worm, watch the butterflies, breathe deeply of a rose's fragrance, and truly take in all the beauty which surrounds us daily.  And after dark, step outside without the aid of a flashlight and gaze up at the heavens.  I expect that you'll be in awe at what you see.

Disturbing Reality

Nature has a way of teaching truth -- and again I was a witness to another truth today.

After spending a long weekend at the beach with my daughter, her husband, my grandson and my granddaughter, we returned to our gardens which had been blessed with rain in our absence.  Being away on vacation, no matter how brief, is always good, refreshing, and relaxing, but returning home to the familiar is always comforting.  I missed seeing my gardens while I was away.  So I've been enjoying the countless butterflies as they flutter from flower to flower, sipping the life-giving nectar that they crave. 

Late today, I had to pull out the hose again; it was a hot day, probably close to 96 degrees or so with oppressive humidity.  As I began to water the drooping flowers, I noticed a spicebush swallowtail that looked rather odd from my vantage point.  Upon further inspection, I discovered that it was being consumed, at that very instant, by another huge praying mantis.  Needless to say, I was greatly disturbed.  Suddenly, the insect that I thought to be my friend became an object of my anger.  How dare it kill beautiful, harmless butterflies!  It was supposed to, at least in my book, kill only those things that did harm to my plants, and here I'd caught praying mantises killing both a hummingbird moth and now a beautiful, fragile butterfly!  I stepped inside and grabbed my camera and documented the 'murder' again, but I thought I'd spare showing you another grizzly photograph. 

The praying mantis has taught me that what appears to be beneficial and should be beneficial can often be destructive as well.  There is not one human being -- outside of Jesus Christ -- that is good in every aspect, and I'm sure that every one reading this can think of at least one person who has done something to hurt you, even if they claim to love you.  People are fallible, deceptive, pretentious and manipulative, and all of us have been the object of harm at one time or another.  Just as the praying mantis is beneficial, he also shows no selectivity when it comes to catching a meal -- be it butterfly or grasshoppper, whatever comes near, he'll catch it and devour it.  Many things and people in this world appear to be good but are only concerned about their own welfare and will take down and destroy someone to get what they want.  As the word says in Matthew 10:16 -- "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

Watch and pray, dear readers, so you'll not be snared by a praying mantis in your life.  It appears to be praying when in actuality it is waiting for an unsuspecting insect to travel close enough to snag, and even people who appear to be praying will wait until the opportune moment to snatch someone unawares.