It was July 24, 2025 when I took this stroll at Heritage Park. I was double-dipping, picture-wise, because my purpose for being at this venue that day was to walk and take photos for my virtual 5K “Running to Honor” event. I always go the day before the actual event. “Running to Honor” acknowledges those living veterans who suffer from PTSD as a result of their military service and additionally memorializes those military personnel lost on the battlefield, or who took their life after battling PTSD.
As I walked through Heritage Park, I always try to keep the photos for the event’s post low key, so I usually aim for beauty, as opposed to baby Barn Swallows glaring at me from their nest in the covered bridge rafters, or the antics of ducks and geese, even the occasional barnyard critters like chickens or Guinea Pea Fowl that stroll over from the nearby Petting Farm. As I recounted that walk, I filled my post with lots of red, white and blue images, most of them flowers. You can read the post about that 5K walk here in case you missed it.
During my long stroll that day, I stopped at the pretty-in-pink pollinator garden filled with Bee Balm and Coneflowers. It was there I found a busy bumblebee and a Black Swallowtail Butterfly, both nestled deep inside some of the abundant Coneflowers. I decided these shots, far less than my normally picture-laden posts, would be perfect to tuck away for Earth Day 2026.
The bee’s knees!
This old-time expression, unbelievably from a century ago, means an outstanding person or thing. Well, it was great that I was up close and personal to this winged wonder, so I could study this bee’s knees and take pictures as well. They weren’t knobby either! 🙂
No fear about being stung – this bumblebee was engrossed in collecting pollen and no, I was not using a DSLR with a big zoom lens, just my digital compact camera with its 12X zoom. The bee’s translucent wings were glinting in the sunlight and I imagined how soft and furry it must feel. This busy bee didn’t seem to mind me hovering around it, taking photos as it was buried deep in the Coneflower.
Butterflies in my stomach!
This is another expression that has been used for 70+ years and is akin to another phrase we often use: all aflutter. The former phrase I really have to scratch my head over, as it almost disparages the butterfly, a beautiful creature that undergoes a metamorphosis like no other, transforming from a wiggly caterpillar, to a chrysalis and ends up as a winged beauty. It is the insect version of the fairytale character we know as Cinderella. Is there anything more delicate and beautiful than a butterfly alighting on a flower, its slender antennae moving slightly as it gently steadies its four feet securely onto a flower to sip its nectar?
This Black Swallowtail Butterfly was in excellent condition, not a single mar on those powdered wings as you see when it is flattened out against the Coneflower in these two pictures.
Even in profile, it is equally exquisite.
This Wednesday, April 22nd is Earth Day.
Originally, I had a different angle for this portion of the post, one that was somewhat dire and mentioned how climate change is harming Earth and its inhabitants. But you all know the story already – you also know how pesticides are harmful to everyone, from bees to butterflies to birds – even us.
So instead of delving into the consequences of pesticides and pollution and what they do to our pollinators, I did a 180 and instead chose to focus on the good news. These are three, short, feel-good blurbs I recently saw on some nature sites I follow on social media. I was pleased (and quite honestly surprised) to read about the population of the Monarch Butterflies which migrate to Mexico where they overwinter. I understood their situation was dire, but this is positive news!
And this is an excellent idea to help our birds and bees. Yes, it is in Denmark; we are ALL inhabitants of Mother Earth though. I wonder if we implement anything of this nature here?
I found this incredulous – can you imagine 32,000 years ago there were bees buzzing and butterflies flitting amongst these flowers? And here is one of those flowers thanks to squirrels … you know my affinity for squirrels, so bless their hearts.
So, may we always have these …
… so we will always have these.
We can all help out Mother Earth by lending a hand, no matter how small, to help sustain life, from the tiniest beings and beyond … after all, we human beings are lumped in here as well, i.e. we all share the planet, right?
I will leave you with this quote:
If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere. – Vincent Van Gogh
Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge this week is: Celebrating Earth Day (April 22). I am also joining Pepper’s Walking/Hiking Challenge One Step at a Time which is every Tuesday.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
This was a lovely post to end my day with.
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Thank you Anne – it was soothing with all the beautiful wildlife wasn’t it?
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Linda, I enjoyed this bees and butterflies post with your lovely photos and drawings, and it’s always nice to read good news regarding nature (you have to love those squirrels). 🙂 An all-around delightful post.
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Thank you Rebecca! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was a good day for pollinators and pretty pink Coneflowers in the pollinator garden and I thought it would be fun to paint a few of them. I liked those tidbits that gave happy news about nature as we get used to seeing dire predictions all the time. I was also happy to see my furry friends were a part in this miraculous flower blooming for 32,000 years!
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I like that Denmark made homes for the geese that are isolated and safe!
Love your paintings Linda! You get better and better with each study!
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Thank you Wayne! I am enjoying painting and when I saw the instructor had a bee and a butterfly in her collection for us to paint, I knew they would be perfect for this Earth Day post.
I think Denmark has a great idea here – let these waterfowl live on a little island and be self-contained, especially when they’re sitting on a nest or have young. They will be safe from predators. At Elizabeth Park there is a small island in the middle of the canal. I was there once in the Spring and there was one geese family that had overtaken the small island.
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Beautiful images of bees and butterflies on coneflowers, Linda. 😁
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Thank you Pepper! The heart of Summer has so much beauty to offer us doesn’t it?
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It sure does. Coneflowers are one of my favorite summer flowers. 😊
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Mine too and they are such pollinator magnets!
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One more reason to love them. 😉
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Yes, we need all the pollinators we can get!
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I love your artwork! You could sell this!
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Thank you Kate! Now my head will be swelled up the rest of the night! I like this woman artist who does the watercolor lessons. I saw she had a bee and butterfly and knew it would be perfect for this Earth Day post.
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Beautiful photos! More butterflies is always good news. I’m waiting to see the 32,000 year old squirrel! 😛
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Thank you JP! I was surprised to see the info about the Monarchs as I thought they were dwindling. That squirrel will be showing up with his friends at your walnut tree!
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What a wonderful, uplifting post to celebrate Earth Day, Linda! I’m heartened to read about the monarchs’ come-back. Excellent close-ups of the bees and monarch pollenating away! I’m even happy the squirrels are helping the Earth!
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Thank you Terri! I was happy to see those good news “stories” so I could include them here. I almost included a story that said that bees recognize you. I thought “no way” but yes, they do recognize people. I was lucky to get close-ups since they were nestled into the flowers. I was happy to see my favorite critter was helping the cause … and we just think they bury acorns and create magnificent Oak trees. 🙂
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Beautiful post, and yay for Denmark! Great little wildflower island habitats! Thanks for sharing these uplifting stories.
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Thank you Rooted Habitat! Yes, that is great for Denmark – a wonderful way for waterfowl to nest, raise their offspring without worrying about predators and it would be especially good for molting season when they can’t fly. I also saw a story how bees recognize people and I almost included that in here as well, but I was amazed to see that info.
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I’m glad to hear you’re still doing the virtual 5K’s Linda, especially one that benefits our veterans. I’ll be running in a 10K myself this weekend, and though its charity is for general benefit, the locals take the opportunity to place poster photos of local veterans along the race route. Then those same people line the streets waving American flags and passing out water cups as we pass by. It’s always patriotic, but also melancholy to see all those printed faces, especially the ones from as far back as WWII. To think they gave so much back then just so I could run free today. Puts a lot more meaning into a 10K than just “race”.
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I do like this particular 5K Dave – it’s a great cause. Unfortunately, Aaron Bartal said this year will be the last Running to Honor 5K. I had registered when I got the e-mail for the event, but in the message he said he will still be active with war veterans who suffer from PTSD, just not having the 5K. I am wondering if someone else will continue in his stead – I hope so. The poster photos are similar to what this 5K does – they put them out on Friday night and there is an honor guard that watches over all the photos overnight, only they are staked around the starting point of the race. We have “The Wall that Heals” traveling Vietnam Memorial coming to this same park in August. I saw it a few years ago at another Michigan park – it was very moving to see, with many men looking for their lost comrades’ names, making an etching of the name, leaving flowers, or praying.
I did not participate in the DNR’s Earth Day virtual 5K this year (the one you were interested in as it is multi-state). This virtual 5K runs anytime from Earth Day through Arbor Day. I wasn’t keen on how the DNR are eliminating the geese and culling the deer, even though I thought the reforestation efforts were admirable. They put a halt to those efforts due to petitions and protests for now, so I will consider participating again down the road.
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Beautiful pollinator/flower photos, Linda! I like how you take the positive, good-news approach here. That is my MO, too. Today I saw some high, wispy clouds filled with rainbow colors of superb intensity. I’m inspired to try it in a painting I’m working on.
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Thank you Eilene! It was a good day at the pollinator garden at this park. I am glad I included these little stories as I got some nice feedback about them. I also learned that bees recognize people and almost included that story as well, but it didn’t pertain to Earth Day and positivity about nature. I hope you post your painting when you’re done as you did with your other painting (a Goldfinch I think).
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Great photos, Linda! and I’m glad you included some of your artwork as well. I was happy to see dandelions this week. Good for the bees. Happy Earth Day!
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Thank you Ruth! It was so pretty at the pollinator garden at Heritage Park that day – the Taylor Flower Club always keeps the garden looking good. I saw these two paintings to try and had some fun doing them and knew they would be perfect for an Earth Day post. My next painting will be for Mother’s Day. I could not believe how the dandelions all arrived at once (and weren’t there the day before). This morning I went outside and saw the thick frost and it looked as if all the dandelions died overnight, but they sprung back to life by the afternoon. I walked around the neighborhood yesterday and I will have a photograph of a lawn with solid dandelions so the bees will be happy to visit there. 🙂 Happy Earth Day back at you!
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Miss Linda……………………you are an excellent story teller plus a wonderful photographer……………………….It is uplifting to read your blogs when we are anxiously waiting for a warm spring to arrive……………………………………
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Thank you Ann Marie! This is such a nice little garden near the Old Log Cabin. I was there about 10 days ago – there was nothing going on yet, but a Daffodil or two, with everything maintained by the Taylor Garden Club. That heavy frost Monday morning was something! I thought it knocked out all the dandelions but later they were all back again! I wish we could just have perfect Spring weather like we used too, not too hot, not too cold.
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Love the paintings Linda! And the pictures are so detailed, especially the wings. Nice to see so much color from last summer, especially when we had snow last night and woke up to it on the green grass this morning!
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Thanks Joni! This artist I am following had the bee and butterfly videos about a month ago, so I thought these two paintings would be perfect to do for my Earth Day post. I am really liking this ink-and-wash type of watercolor painting, as it is less precise. The bee and butterfly didn’t seem to mind me hovering close by them I’m surprised about your snow – wow! We had a freeze warning Sunday into Monday and it was 23 degrees and a heavy frost when I got up on Monday morning. The Magnolia tree blossoms next door are withered and brownish looking and the Tulips in the ‘hood are droopy looking now, not as pretty as when I saw them on Sunday.
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Beautiful bees and butterflies! Especially your paintings of them. 🙂 Thanks for the good news about the monarchs and the floating wildflower islands. Of course a Canada goose would be interested in one for a nest…
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Thank you Barbara! I thought since I had photos of these pollinators, I should do paintings of bees and butterflies too. It was fun doing these paintings. I was surprised about the monarchs as I understood it was the opposite, with less of them getting to Mexico this year, so that is positive news for the pollinators, plus a great way to keep waterfowl safe on mini islands and predators away is a great idea as well. I wonder if we have something similar here?
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I’m looking forward to the days full of coneflowers and pollinators. Bruce just got out of the hospital after 10 days and I am sooooo behind on everything including reading people’s blogs. Hopefully I can catch up eventually.
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I am looking forward to that wonderful time of the year too Dawn. I;m sorry to hear that Bruce was in the hospital and I have kept him in my prayers since you mentioned him being ill before. I hope both of you are able to enjoy Spring unfolding in your backyard soon.
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A wonderful post, beautiful photos / drawings. Loved the tiny island of flowers for the birds.
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Thanks Monica! This small volunteer garden is great to visit in mid-Summer as there are lots of perennials and pollinators. I decided it would be fun to paint a few of them for my Earth Day post. I thought that was a great idea for the birds, safe from predators and a good place to raise their young. [I have no idea why your comment went to spam?]
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What an enjoyable walk along with the bees and butterflies! I love your sketches, adorable! I am actually researching native Maryland plants to buy a few perrenials and the Purple Coneflower is on my list. 🙂
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Thank you Donna! I thought it would be fun to paint a few pollinators to go along with my Earth Day post. When I had my butterfly garden in the backyard, the Purple Coneflowers were a pollinator magnet for various butterflies and bees as well. I also had White Coneflowers mixed in and, though they were not as pretty as the purple variety, they still attracted pollinators.
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