I might need to find myself some new weather gurus, because, just before I departed on my walk this morning, I know I clearly heard these weather descriptions being uttered:  “hot” and “humid” NOT “breezy” and “cool”.  It really doesn’t matter that the weather folks slipped up, since that breath of refreshing air felt delightful as I made my way down to Council Point Park.

The sun hid behind the clouds until I was halfway through the first loop, then suddenly it slipped out from that darkish mass of clouds, and there it was, shining down, bathing the Park in a soft and warm glow.

This is my kind of Summer weather, even if it is only here today and tomorrow.  It sure was nice to arrive home after my walk without beads of sweat trickling down my face, or clothes feeling like they were sticking to me.

I can’t believe it is the last week of July already.  It is time to stop and enjoy Summer before it completely slips away.  I have even noticed the sun rising later.  This morning, I looked out the front door at 6:00 a.m. and it was still dark.  It seems it was just a handful of days ago, that the sun was filtering through the blinds long before I put on the 6:00 a.m. news.

I am not enamored with the hot and humid weather and I’m sure I’m not the only human protesting this surge of sultry temps.  I’ve also been surprised at the lack of butterflies that are usually more abundant when the temperatures rise.

So, when I saw this pretty Tiger Swallowtail butterfly flitting by me just a few yards away from the perimeter path, I sure took notice.  Within seconds, I took the camera out of the case and hurried over to get a better view, and take a photo of it if possible.  Though I had hurried to hone in on this beauty, the butterfly took its good old sweet time, darting around the burdock, then hovering here and there.  I watched its delicate form as it gently nestled into the Queen Anne’s Lace, then it quickly took flight once again, alighting, then burrowing down in some periwinkle-colored chicory.

I stood there, patiently biding my time, until this butterfly came to rest on some prickly burrs.  “Be careful!” I wanted to say as it slowly settled down onto a burr.

I am sure there was not an ounce of nectar for it to sip on, but it lingered there for the  longest time.  I took several shots of this fragile creature, concerned it might vanish into thin air before I could zoom in on it (which I finally did successfully, as you can see above.)

Usually those run-of-the-mill Cabbage White butterflies are found at the Park at the height of Summer, but seeing this Tiger Swallowtail was truly a treat, and made my morning complete.

I’ll leave you with this quote I saw a while ago and tucked away.  It seems to fit this blog post to a “T”:

Something precious is lost if we rush headlong into the details of life without pausing for a moment to pay homage to the mystery of life and the gift of another day. ~Kent Nerburn