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[bohemima]

We went to Calloway Gardens today. It's less than 40 miles from here. How beautiful it is there; so still and calm and quiet, especially if one gets on one of the walking trails. Saw mountain laurel, rhododendrons, gorgeous delphiniums, some iris still blooming in its deep purkly wonder, and many trees and shrubs. I left husband on a bench and went

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[morty_baby]

We went to the Butterfly Gardens here a couple of years ago. It was quite amazing to see butterflies with a 5 inch wing-span. The colors were so amazing that they almost looked fake. There was also a few Blue Morphos and they were quite spectacular. I resisted the urge to flail my arms when they headed for my face :) It was so quiet and steamy and sultry in there - I think I held my breath for most of the walk-through so that I wouldn't disturb anything. I had the urge to take all my clothes off and lay down, letting the butterflies land on me like an old log in the forest.

The neatest flying critter I ever saw in my yard was a hummingbird moth. It flitted about just like a hummingbird, getting nectar from the flowers.

Whoa!

[bohemima]

The moth is gorgeous, but at seeing something that size in my yard, I might have jumped back a little. Having lived in Florida for many, many years I became very familiar with a really huge creature called a Palmetto Bug. This is polite languange for the biggest,(a good 3 to 4 inches long)fastest, able-to-fly cockroach that I never want to run into again. Their natural habitat is outside in one's plants, lurking quietly, seeking a way into the house where it's cool and there is really good food. It's particularly unpleasant when one stumbles out in the middle of the night, barefootand confused,(seeking food or solace or simply to be at one with the whacko ads on t.v.) and there the big bastard is, scurrying back under the stove at the sudden bright light, while you of course scream with horror and try to find the bug spray or a frying pan or the husband's slipper or even the husband himself. And then there was the time when I found a snake in the shower...as I was showering...mmmmhmmmm. No wonder I have medication.