The shadows of monarch butterflies hovering over our backyard ivy is one of the wonders of the low October sun and the reflections caught in the window. Given that the monarchs will only be here for about a week, each shadow, if I am fortunate to see it, is a signal for me to grab my camera and head outside. It helps that the monarchs are triple the size of painted ladies or cabbage white butterflies, the two most common fliers in the backyard. I call this time of year, “monarch madness.”
The alligator lizard blends in with the underbrush along the coast.
The lizard also blends in with the coastal rocks.
Alligator lizards were busy crisscrossing the dirt trails at Point Lobos yesterday. I’ve never seen so many, in fact, I thought one might be following me. But, no, there was a new lizard every few steps.
I was walking down this road lined with parked cars and coastal vegetation. I’ve been on this “path” many times, so I had a sense of what to expect. But this time there was a human figure in the distance. With each step I took the figure grew larger in the middle of the road. I ignored the scenery on the sides, instead, concentrating on this stationary person. I was closing in on a man on a cell phone. Hadn’t expected that result. Why was he talking in the middle of the road? He avoided eye contact with me as he continued his conversation while I passed. I caught a burst of words that tied everything together–the why of he was there. I stopped, looked both ways and crossed a main street. Life goes on with its array of choices and the energy of people trying to make the pieces fit when they will not.
Our backyard ivy remains abuzz with honeybees. I’d say multiply this shot by a thousand to get a sense of how many bees are at work. Their hive is only a few feet away, so this may explain the high activity.
Scrub jays nest in trees next to our backyard. Yesterday I captured what I thought was a feeding ritual; i.e., an adult teaches junior to eat. I’ve seen this ritual before, but this time, it appeared to be a lesson in survival. Not sure. Clearly, the adult puts the food in junior’s beak, then removes it. Junior is stunned. Photos are in the order they were shot. Thoughts?
Every October monarch butterflies spend some time in our backyard ivy. I spotted my first monarch of the season yesterday. They are migrating to Southern California and Mexico. Their time here will be brief.
A view from the flower bed of the ever-changing New York Cirty skyline.
These flowers are blooming in the High Line, a public park in the midst of the City of New York. But if you look closer–I’ve enlarged the photo to make my point–you’ll see honey bees at work. This to me is scale. via Photo Challenge: Scale
