A Walk to the Mailbox

Six days a week I take a walk to the mailbox. It is such a delightful journey, and makes for an exercise routine, that although not very extensive, yet it is pretty consistent. Each day as I stroll to the mailbox, I see so much beauty, and it is always an uplifting trip. Many days I take my camera along and capture a few images of the day's highlights. I wanted to share some of Wednesday's scenes, and hope that they bring a smile to your face, as you imagine the butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, and listen for the quail in the distance with his "bob-white" call.

This little flower is called "snow-on-the-mountain". One of our neighbors gave me seeds to start this plant, and this is the second year it has returned. I love the dainty little blooms and the white-on-white coloring of flowers and leaves. It grows just down from our mailbox, and can be seen in the above photo just to the left of the flag.

These are the lantana planted beneath the mailbox, and they were being visited by a monarch butterfly.

My zinnias are a favorite place for the butterflies to gather and partake of the different colored blooms. This is a spicebush swallowtail butterfly. I am just now learning to identify the different butterflies, and have found a website that is very helpful. It is www.gardenswithwings.com . You can put in the wing color, and other identifying marks, and it brings up pictures of various species to compare your butterfly and see what kind it is.

In the corner of our pasture field I have planted some cannas and sunflowers. I love the big blooms on the sunflowers and know that my days for photographing them is limited, as the birds will soon be dining on the seeds. They are such happy flowers. This year it was difficult getting them started, as some little critter ate the seeds before they could sprout. After 3 plantings I finally succeeded in getting a few to grow. They are very showy above the red cannas.

Here is a silver-spotted skipper on a fuchsia colored zinnia. That website is a big help!

I planted this bittersweet about 7 years ago. Last year was its first year to have berries. I do have another plant (which I assume is a male) as it has not had any berries. I am hoping it becomes more fruitful so I can gather the vines and berries for a wreath in the fall.

One more butterfly, appropriately lit on a butterfly bush. This is a swallowtail butterfly, and a very friendly one, I must add.

Before walking back inside the house, with mail in hand, and camera around my neck, this lovely single blossomed rose-of-sharon caught my eye, and I knew I had to take its picture. It is a bush I brought from my Mom's yard and somehow it managed to bloom without the beetles discovering it. I have some purple ones too, but love this white with the deep red center. Thank you for walking with me to get the mail, and I hope you Enjoyed our Journey.