Yogurt and Butterflies

We are still settling in to our ordinary routine after those two interruptions that occurred due to the trip to Florida and then the visit to Indiana. This week I lost track of when my milk supply would be replenished, and I ended up with leftover milk. So I made yogurt last night, and this morning Bow was very pleased to have some with his breakfast.

You can see by the way he eats it that Bow really enjoys his yogurt.

In other news, the milkweed on my property is not doing that well for some reason. They say we are suffering though a drought, even though it rains very frequently, and perhaps that is to blame. But the Virginia Mountain Mint by the fence line is doing quite well, and that is where the most beautiful butterflies can be found.

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is a sight to behold.

You can see how very large (wingspan 3.1 to 5.5 in) it is in comparison to the blossoms of the Virginia Mountain Mint.

A Great Spangled Fritillary, also a rather large butterfly (wingspan 2.4 to 3.5 in), is not nearly as big.

Last season, we had many of the Great Spangled Fritillary on the Purple Milkweed. But this season I only see a single Fritillary every once in a while for a fleeting moment.

Every season brings its own preoccupations and its own delights. Last season I was worried about the exact classification of wild roses. This year I wonder at the single black flower in the center of the sea of white florets in the Queen Anne's Lace.

I never noticed that black flower before, but they all have them. Only sometimes that one central flower looks more red than black. What is it doing there? What purpose does it serve?

All living things are self-organizing units with subparts and form and function. We don't always need to know how they work, but it is helpful to remember that they do work somehow, without help from anyone else.  It's when we try to help without understanding that we can damage the delicate structure that no one designed and very few completely understand.

And speaking of laissez fair, here are some links to my libertarian writings.

http://libertybuzz.us/story/author/ayakatz/

http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/author/aya-katz/