"A Sense of Completion"

A gardening season has many acts. Certainly in the Smith Boeth Monarch Waystation, we hope to be blessed with another grand finale of eclosing Monarchs emerging from chrysalises. Over the weekend, we were thrilled to enjoy the big number closing the first act. On that lovely Saturday past, the Swallowtails in all their power and drama finally arrived, in force!
At dinner, Stephanie said, "Today just gave the garden a sense of completion."  

And it was not only the three American Tiger Swallowtails (two yellow males, and the dark female), above, but the ever-flapping Spicebush (below), burrowing its snout deep into the flowers as it imbibed. The Tiger Swallowtails were generally cool, gliding through the garden. The Spicebush was an aerial tapdancer. 

The day was full of other visitors as well, including a new variety of the tiny hairstreaks, the Gray Hairstreak, which takes faking out its predators to fascinating lengths compared to its cousins. Our next post will be about the garden's littlest butterfly visitors, so watch for more soon on that. For now, here is a more straightforward image. The Gray as shown could hide behind a quarter.  

Throughout the day, the skippers, four at least, were fearlessly bouncing, or should I say skipping, around the garden, sampling everything, unbothered by humans or Swallowtails. The lovely Pearl Crescent rested on the daisy-sized dwarf sunflowers. And  the ubiquitous Eastern Tailed Blue, another little one, visited on the wildflower section to the side. 

We were out in the garden for hours, and by the end we were exhilarated but exhausted too. We were not alone, as we spotted the Tiger Swallowtail chilling out herself on the leaf of a goldenrod.