Saturday, July 22, 2006



(click on image for larger view)


Under Siege!

Because of a strange pattern of drought, rain, and summer heat, parts of this fair city are aswarm with countless Snout Butterflies! In my garden, clouds of the little invaders are flitting from Mountain Laurel to Lantana to Fig Tree in an endless loop, and even steppping out to the mail box entices them to dive-bomb me like tiny, fuzzy missiles.

I've attempted a stylized, pretty version of the "Snout", 'cause, frankly, they look a little like airborne winter leaves. Kind of . . . brown.

On the one hand, I'm pleased to provide a verdant haven for them; on the other, they're becoming a little like "The Man Who Came To Dinner."

Time for them to move along!

19 comments:

  1. what a lovely version of butterfly! When my elder son was a toddler, he loved butterflies - be it flying in a park, or printed in a book. Somehow must be amused by its flowing movement in the air or its colourful wings.

    Anyway, have a nice weekend!

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  2. oh how beautiful...honey that is just precious...i showed it just now to 2 of my girls here with me and one said pretty cool and the other a long sigh and wow....

    enjoy your wknd and great job-again!

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  3. Anonymous4:16 PM

    What's next?

    Cats and dogs living together? :D

    Are you well, W.J.?

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  4. Hi, W.J., I just show your work to my elder son who is now five-and-half and told him that it's a specially-made version of butterfly.

    He said, "I know - it's made of sea shells." :)

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  5. There must be a lot of them flying around W.J. but who in the world named them "snout"!? That's amazing how they have such good camouflauge (ha probably why there is so many of them!) Your image does look like smooth shiny sea shells, very pretty! It's amazaing how insects can adapt. One time we saw a moving thin stick on a tree branch and it was a caterpillar that looked exactly like a twig! He would even stand straight up in the air motionless, it was so neat!

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  6. I love it. A picture I can understand and relate to. Sometimes I feel like a butterfly but not like your gold one/

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  7. It looks like a magnificent carving.

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  8. Hi, fenn,
    I've always loved butterflies, too, but I don't like insects. So, I really only love the gorgeous butterfly wings, not the scary, insect-y bodies!

    I love your son's comment about the sea shells; kids really see the wonder in things . . .

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  9. Thank you, Chana, and your girls, too! The "long sigh and wow" is, in my opinion, about as good as it gets!

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  10. Hi, TC,

    Cats & dogs, hm? Stranger things have happened!

    I'm well, just scarily overextended right now. And, in the heat of summer, the house is only comfortable between 4 - 11 a.m., which makes productivity tough . . .

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  11. Hey, Lynette!

    It seems their "noses" are actually "snouts", which would make them a little spooky, up close! I remember seeing those stick-like caterpillars at my grandmother's house, in Arkansas. Yikes! I'm just not a fan of the insect world.

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  12. I'm glad you like it, Dr. John! You're better off not being my butterfly -- he has no head!

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  13. Thank you, JB, and feel free to throw "magnificent" at me, whenever the mood strikes!

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  14. When I first saw the image, I thought ah ha a butterfly. Then my inner voice, said, no I had better wait for your written entry. Then affirmation that it is indeed a type of butterfly. I suppose the old saying is true...trust your instincts!

    I like it a lot, especially against the red background. I looked at it closely before I read and the image looks sculptural, like bone fragments arranged in the shape of a butterfly. Nicely done!

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  15. Anonymous4:51 PM

    Swarms of butterflies, must be a wonderful sight. :)Lovely butterfly image too. W.J. :)

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  16. Thanks, very much, Cynthia! Indeed, always trust your instincts; I'd be lost without mine. Glad you enjoyed the butterfly!

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  17. Hi, Sandy!

    The butterflies were pretty exciting -- at first. No, they weren't very pretty; very small and very brown, but exciting, nonetheless.

    I'm not sure where they are, now, but there were none in the garden yesterday. I did have a few hummingbirds, though!

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  18. Anonymous1:26 PM

    A few hummingbirds W.J. ????? Then wh6 aren't they HERE :-)

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  19. Sandy, it's too hot to go running for the camera!

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