Mid-July, I’ve gravitated each afternoon around 2:30 to the butterfly bush, which is situated in full sun at that time of day. I’m usually ready for a screen break from my work laptop, full of its regression plots of respiration data, its shellfish pedigree spreadsheets, its people in boxes having meetings, by that time.
I’m not the only one gravitating there, that time of day, but join an already-rocking party of butterflies and hummingbirds, bees and moths.
So many of our Western Tiger Swallowtail friends have been hanging around this last week since our butterfly bush bloomed. The buddleia is thriving so well, we think, because one of our weeding dates last summer found Rich hauling out blackberries and me extricating morning glories from their stranglehold around the butterfly bush branches. Then Rich did a substantial pruning job on it, which it responded well to, and he has kept the understory trimmed through the seasons.
With careful tending and nurture, things – shrubs, butterflies, relationships – are sure to thrive.
Happy fourth wedding anniversary to my partner in weeding and everything else in life!
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