It's Independence Day here in the US! I don't have any recent photos of fireworks so how about some natural looking fireworks. These are Bee Balm flowers in bloom that I planted last year and came back and flowered this year. They have 3 bees visiting, 2 fairly prominent and then a very little one you may have trouble spotting.
It's Wildflower Wednesday here on the Blog! This flower has been very prolific in my area this year. It is Wild Alfalfa. It is a native legume and is very drought hardy as it's roots can grow to 10 feet deep. It resembles Alfalfa but livestock do not particularly like it unless it is cured in prairie hay.
I was able to see a Swan family while on a drive near the area I was staying at in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. I stayed in the truck and was able to be fairly close to them. They still swam away from me though. I believe that these are Trumpeter Swans due to the color of their heads. There cygnets were just adorable.
Happy Monday, and new week and also new month, it's July and the second half of the year! 😁 I have been able to see these butterflies more often this year. Right now they have been around and feasting on all the Mulberries that have dropped to the ground from the tree. This is a Question Mark butterfly, the mark can only be seen when the wings are closed. I captured this one resting on a rock between feedings.
It's Steamy Sunday here on the Blog! We are halfway through the year already! Wow, time flies. Here is another posed image of the 14 inch Wagner on the Ortner Railroad. I took this image near the amazingly detailed miniature station that was donated to the railroad last year.
If you would like to view a video of the locomotive operating where this and other neat buildings can be seen, I have a YouTube video here that I shared a while back.
I captured this image while out on a bike ride one day recently. This field was being harvested for wheat. I was going to crop it in closer to show the dust cloud that was being created better but I decided I liked how this showed how large the field was compared to the combine working it. This field is relatively small in comparison to some.
Happy Friday, TGIF! I have been able to se several large types of butterflies this Spring/early summer. I captured this male Black Swallowtail that was enjoying my Butterfly Milkweed recently. I chose this image for today due to the lovely bubbly bokeh because Friday's Are Bokehlicious!
