Nature... up close

When it comes to providing opportunities to get up close with some of God's creation, few things outside of a good bird feeder provide more bang for the buck than a butterfly bush.  The butterfly in the picture above kept circling around the yard and cornfields before returning to this spot.  I kept trying to get more angles, but this magnificent creature was having nothing of it.  I sat for several minutes just taking in the graceful flight before giving up.  We have been enjoying a 20 degree drop in temperatures so it was nice to be outside, even if part of that time involved mulching around some of the flowerbeds (I was reminded that it has been a long time since I have worked regularly in a job that required physical labor!).