Garden Surprises

One of my favorite places to be is in my garden- surrounded by my plants, watching them grow, picking and eating vegetables before I get them to the house. (please don't let on that the sugar snaps are already producing :). I don't want for anything at times like these. But every once in a while when I think things can't get any better, something happens to surprise the carp out of me!

Like last year, when I was photographing columbine for my flickr pool and this guy showed up in the picture.

And last summer, while I was on my knees weeding around the Euonymous bed and I heard something rustle from underneath it and this guy RAN out. I guess he thought that he just hit the motherload. Surprised both of us!

Today while I was photographing my first Echinachea blossom, this beauty flew into the picture and started feeding on the verbenum. I had never seen one of these around here before. What a gorgeous sight! The red dots on the wings look like cherries.

But the best thing I've seen yet is this guy. I've heard that they eat cabbage worms- public enemy #1 in my garden. I got to witness it first hand; that is after I ran inside to get the camera.

So, next time you go into your garden, be ready for those garden surprises. Might want to have that camera with you, just in case.

Until next time.....