Picture Perfect!

After the rains of this past weekend, the gardens look much better.  What I thought were dead zinnias are now blooming like crazy!  Some have ten to fifteen blooms per plant which makes the gardens quite bright and makes the butterflies and honeybees quite happy!  Pop would be proud!  He always had masses of zinnias in huge gardens about the yard.  These along with dozens of other types of flowers were his enjoyment..his down time after working in the fields.  I suppose plowing, planting, hoeing, weeding and harvesting vegetables was just not enough gardening for him!  He had to plant flowers as well!  I only wish that I had the energy that Pop had!  His place was gorgeous and his fields were always producing!  My meager gardens pale in comparison!  But still, the zinnias are outdoing themselves which always helps to brighten the yard!

Today while meandering with Ms. Ez, the dog, I came across one of the most beautiful of zinnia blooms!  It was about four inches in diameter and with near perfect petals.  Each petal was perfectly placed around the tight closed center.  The color was a vibrant pinkish-purple and stood out among the oranges and yellows of the other blooms. Such a lovely blossom!  This flower was almost too perfect in shape!  I had to take a few pictures!  I love zinnias!

While snapping pictures of the one bloom, I spied another butterfly visiting the garden.  The Long-tailed Skipper was still flitting about but it was joined by a nice orange friend.  This Fritillary Butterfly made me smile not only with its presence in the garden but because it is a harbinger of the coming of the Monarch Butterflies. I have noticed each year that the Fritillaries come in before the Monarchs.  In a few weeks the Purple Ageratums should be swarming with the migrating Monarchs! I can only hope that I have the thrill of being caught up in another whirlwind of butterflies as I was last fall.  Hundreds of orange wings swirled around me when I stepped into the garden!  It is quite the experience!  One butterfly in the garden is sweet, two butterflies in the garden bring smiles...hundreds bring excitement!  With that thought, I checked the progress of the Purple Ageratums and was tickled to see that they should be in full bloom just at the expected arrival time of the Monarchs!  I await their coming with hopes of many more this year! I do hope the gardens are visited again!