Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #102: Quiet Moments
This week, Patti is challenging us to capture “A Quiet Moment.” Maybe it’s a walk early in the morning or the time you sit down with a book and a cup of coffee. Include shots captured at home or in your neighborhood, or from a trip to a faraway place months or years ago.
Yesterday was the first time we got together with Hubby’s siblings. They live in a quiet place with neighbors who are acres away. We practiced the social distancing, wearing masks, sitting several feet apart. Hubby and I brought our own food, water, and utensils for lunch. It was surreal that we finally see each other after a time that seems like an eternity. We didn’t have a large family party; we only had a precious quiet lunch with a few members.
A pair of mourning doves fixed up the old nest on June 5, the female dove came back to lay eggs on June 7. Today, June 22, the dove took a break from her incubation. I stole the chance to take a photo of the nest. One squab was hatched. It’s amazed of how tiny the eggs are. According to my observation during the previous years, the dove would nurture the squabs until they are mature. By the time the squabs are ready to fly, they are as big as the adult doves.
The squabs are quietly growing.
After I spotted a Monarch and a Swallowtail butterflies in my garden, I looked into cultivating a butterfly garden.
The Monarchs face many risks that are resulting in declining populations in both the eastern and western parts of their North American range. The largest effects come from the loss of habitat for breeding, migrating, and overwintering. In addition, pesticides that are used to control insects and weeds have harmful unintended consequences for monarchs, a changing climate may make some habitat less suitable and forcing changes in migratory patterns, and monarchs face many risks from natural enemies, such as predators, parasitoids, and diseases.
The loss of milkweed in agricultural fields is a major cause of decline in monarchs, though there are other factors contributing to the decline in milkweed availability.
If you’re interested, you can download a Milkweeds: A Conservation Practitioner’s Guide https://www.xerces.org/publications/guidelines/milkweeds-conservation-practitioners-guide
I wanted to create a butterfly garden from seeds. I ordered the California native Narrow leave and Showy milkweed seeds.
The seeds are in quiet germination.
I wait with anticipation to see more butterflies in my garden.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #102: Quiet Moments
The Showers of Blessings 
So, it turns out WordPress hasn’t been sending me email updates and I’ve just been sitting here, thinking you were taking a break. So prepare for me to be going through almost everything since June all in one go!
That bird is so sweet – hope it did well!
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WordPress didn’t send me an email HRR. It switches your blog without further notice because the warning sign has been out for quite some time. Someone’s blog just got switched last night. Those birds were from last year. The birds didn’t do too well this year. They got rid of one egg and one baby!
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Aww! 😦 Well, hopefully WP will do a better job in the future… but with the new editor also being terrible, I’m not holding my breath.
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They retired the classic already, and switch the blogs in waves. 😔 Users have no choices. 🙁
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You can still get to the Admin editor, if you try hard enough. That’s what I’ve been relegated to, though I bet that’s about to disappear, too.
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I haven’t done from Admin editor yet. When I edit a post, usually it takes me there. I’ll try to do a new post from there. Thank you for commented on all my posts. I’ll read them today. 🙂
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Miriam, I’m so glad that you and your hubby and family are all safe and healthy––and that you connected (even if it was a small gathering). Blessings to you all, and good to reconnect on our blogs.
That photo of the squab is precious, thank you!
Love,
Debbie
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We’re doing well, Debbie! I’m so glad to see you again!
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so pretty! what a great photog you are, Miriam! have I already asked you — if I did, it bear repeating because you write so beautifully – would you be so kind as to guest blog post for my site? If you’re so inclined, here’s a link to general guidelines:
https://wp.me/p6OZAy-1eQ
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Oh, de-AL, thank you so much for your comment. I’m honored to do the guest blog post for your site. I’ll check on the guidelines today. 💖
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so. glad!
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Your attempt to grow a butterfly garden is commendable. I also hope you get more butterflies finding their way to your garden. Lovely look at the morning doves. Always wonderful to get together with family again. Hope you have a wonderful day. ❤
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Thank you, Olga. I bought some zinnias that the butterflies like for the nectar. But I got the dwarf kind. So I planted seeds for the regular kind that is taller. I do hope I’ll have a butterfly garden someday. 💖
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A beautiful home complimented by beautiful captures. And there are the doves 🙂
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Thank you, Abrie! Hope things are well with you. 🙂
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Stunning photos, Miriam. I’m glad that you were able to visit your family.
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Thank you, Mark. On our way home, we stopped by to visit my husband’s 88 years old mother. She wants to live by herself and doesn’t want to go to a nursing home yet.
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My wife’s grandmother was the same way. I guess it’s hard to give up the life you’re accustomed to.
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If we don’t adapt well in our age, it’ll be harder when we get older.
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Isn’t it lovely to meet up with family again. Truly precious. Wishing you an abundance of butterflies and many more quiet moments enjoying nature.
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Yes, it was lovely, Brigid. I’m tending the seedlings every day and preparing the soil in some area with no plants. I’ll plant the milkweed in all the area available.
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What gorgeous pictures. I am glad you’re helping the butterflies!
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Thank you, Chelsea. Yes, the butterflies need a lot of help right now. We help the butterflies, they wold help with pollination!
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How lovely to meet up in a quiet and distanced way – but seeing each other! That is what we do as well. So precious moments. Your butterfly garden sounds a marvelous project. I try to have plants that attract as many insects as possible, and so far it has turned out well. We don’t have any monarchs here in Sweden though, so I am a bit envious! i hope you will post on the developments further on!
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I’m glad we could meet even though it was not the same as usual.
I keep my notes and dated photos of the butterfly garden. It would be exciting to look back.
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I can see that! Looking back has become even more important.
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Exactly, Ann-Christine. I came across one quote saying that, it’s important to move forward, but by looking back, we know where we were and what happened in the path that took us to where we are.
I like it to put looking back in perspective.
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🙂 Good thing
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Love your pictures in this post!!
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That’s a wonderful idea to grow milkweeds to help nurture more monarchs. The last photo is wonderful!
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Thank you, Patti. I think Swallowtail butterflies are California butterflies. I’m growing California native milkweeds that attract monarchs and other butterflies. But it will take more trees and flowers on their migration path to bring back the monarchs.
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I see. Best of luck with this project!
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Thank you, Patti. I bought enough seeds for some to survive!
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It was good to hear that you were able to have a visit with family! I look forward to seeing your butterfly garden develop and the pretty visitors it will attract.
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I’m getting excited and count the seed sprouts every day. I hope this is a good beginning of family gathering but we’re still very careful.
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Although it’s not quiet the same, you’re fortunate to find a way to be with family Miriam. I’m sure it was a very special time. We do the same semi-socializing with friends here but our family is too far away to be able to travel to see them. Here’s hoping that changes soon.
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Yes, it’s not quite the same, Tina. My husband’s side of family has many medical people. Two of the tree people we met on Sunday work in the medical field, plus my husband. So they practice what they advise people to do.
I surely hope things will change soon because it’s 1000 miles away to see my granddaughters!
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Yes, that’s definitely the hardest part. I know you also have a new grand baby and must be dying to see her Miriam!
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Yes, Tina, I just talked with my daughter. Because of the increase of new cases in CA and OR, we’ll wait for a while to make plans.
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Lovely posts. It is nice to attract butterflies in the garden.
Must have been so nice to see each other after a long time.
Lovely photos as always
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Thank you, Bella. It was unbelievable we finally got together! I think the seeds are doing well so far!
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Great
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Great series, Miriam. That pool looks so inviting! I want to cool off!
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Haha, John! I wished I had brought my bathing suit!
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Wonderful Miriam, enjoy your beautiful family!!!
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Thank you, Paulo!!
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Such beautiful and wonderful pictures, Miriam. You must have had a lovely time with them. Thanks for your lovely share.
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Yes, we had a great time, Kamal. They are coming our way for the next gathering, so that’s good.
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That’s great 👍👍👍👍 Miriam
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We leave in a crazy time. Glad you were able to reconnect with family. And amidst all this crazy I love quiet too.
The butterfly symbolizes resurrection, happiness and good luck. Thank you for encouraging them in your garden for all of us. 😎
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I know, Donna! We were glad to meet with family last Sunday. You’re right about the symbol of butterfly. I’m excited about the seeds growing. 🙂
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I wish you success with your butterfly garden, Miriam. I love seeing birds and butterflies, and other wildlife in the garden. How special it would have been to catch up with family. These are strange times indeed.
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Yes, Norah, they’ll come to meet at our house next time! I’ve been feeding the birds for seven years and have baby birds for many years. I have fun doing it. I just started the butterfly garden.
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It’s a wonderful project, Miriam. Enjoy!
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So glad you got a nice visit in. It looks like a beautiful area. The picture of the nest was beautiful and to see the baby. Yes, we need to protect the Monarchs and invite butterflies into our gardens.
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Yes, so far that area is not over developed so every home owner has a lot of land.
I’m glad the doves keep coming back to the same nest. I feed the doves and other birds every day. My milkweed seeds are doing great so far.
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I particularly like the shots of the butterfly and dove, Miriam. I hope things are going well for you.
I’ve gotten serious about rewriting, so I’ve been off the grid. One more week and I think I’ll be done. My writing group is meeting for the first time in four months this week. (wearing face masks)
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Good to hear your group is meeting. Is it the SCBWI group? My group has Zoom meeting. I haven’t started with them yet since I joined two months ago.
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No, it’s my local group. They write in a mixture of genres, but I miss getting their regular feedback. I’ve only found one other children’s writer in the area who belongs to SCBWI. We’ve talked a few times, and I think he might be interested in we could find others in the area. There is a group that sometimes meets over in Red Bluff, but that’s still three and a half hours away from me.
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Oh no, it would be impossible for me to drive three and a half hour each way. The SCBWI group is about an hour away, meeting on Sunday in a normal situation.
At least your local group starts meeting.
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I love how you contribute to nature conservation, Miriam. It is a great and wonderful thing. I’m glad you got a picnic with family in. We have had a few short visits with family too, but no gatherings of the clan yet.
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Glad you caught up with family and really responsible of you to ensure social and safe distancing. Lovely photos of nature! Thanks for the share.
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We have been careful, Garfield. We waited until more places re-open before we thought of getting together. But our protesting is not helping the spread!
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True about the protests! Silly policeman to do all this. I truly wish for peace, equality and justice for all. Stay safe as I also remember how in some states, they are not too happy with Asians too.
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I know, Garfield. I think it’s like white, yellow, brown, black, in the order.
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Sigh!!!
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Lovely photos!
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Thank you, Debra for stopping by and comment!
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I am amazed that you keep up with such a large and complex blog!!
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I started by writing poetry and posted travel photos. After I published my book, I got some author followers and reviewed my book. From there, I reached out far beyog I started. Between my blog and Twitter, I’m approaching 10,000 followers. But I only check about 70 regularly! I have good category and tag system to keep track of my posts. Thank you for your comment!!
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Wow! you really are doing well! That is great. It is hard to make contact with more than a small percentage of our followers.
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Yes, exactly. I don’t follow back any more. The ones I make contact are the ones I’ve kept for a long time.
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I am glad we stay connected from time to time!
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Yes, Dwight, it’s nice to see familiar faces! I just can’t keep up with the new ones.
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I understand… and sometimes the old ones as well!
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I know.
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Wonderful post! Love the photos. We also got together with my son’s family at the local park and had a picnic lunch and enjoyed the shade! I have never see a black butterfly like that. I find the butterflies like my zinnias. I mix the orange flowering milkweed with the narrow leaves in with them. The goldfinches love the seeds when they start to dry up.
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Thank you, Dwight. Good to hear you got together with you son’s family.
I love the orange flowering milkweed. The recommendation of maintaining it is to cut back after fall (to die) so there’ll be fresh leaves in the following spring. The two kinds of seeds I ordered seemed to do well with germination so far.
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I had several milk weed plants come up this year from the seed pods last fall. They both are growing well and the Zinnias are blooming.
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Oh, do the same plants grow back also? I like the seed pods. I’ll plant them anywhere if there’s room. i haven’t tried Zinnias yet.
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You will love zinnias! They are very hardy plants.
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Did you start with plants or seeds? I have a lot of geraniums because of low maintenance. Now I’m thinking of replacing them with flowers provide nectar to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
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I start them from seed I saved from the year before. break off the heads when they begin to dry up and let them dry up over the winter.
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Good to know. I’ll do the same.
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I just looked it up zinnias are good for low maintenance, heat and drought tolerance and have brilliant color. So I’m going to get some zinnias tomorrow!
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Wonderful!
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Beautiful photos, Miriam. Thank you for sharing your lovely quiet moments.
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Thank you for your comment, Amy.
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So peaceful! Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos, Miriam. ❤️
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You’re welcome, Jill. Thank you for reading! ❤
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Lovely gallery of quiet moments Miriam 🙂
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Thank you, Brian. I’m glad we finally got together with some people in the family. 🙂
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