I watch the bird. It seems to float on a current, but there is no wind. Not where I stand under a blooming tree. Petals of its tiny flowers are breathless in anticipation of a visitor.
A Monarch approaches. Its wings flutter and its feet reach for a flower. Soon it enjoys life-giving nectar. Unpretentiously. Expecting it to be there. Always.
As on cue the rest of the company arrives. I am in awe of the rare sight of a butterfly tree.
And I pray. For more butterfly trees. And continued protections of the earth. Less greed. And less sacrifice by nature for human activity.
I hope the skies will be filled with birds for generations to come. Birds that can glide on the currents of unseen winds. But that’s not what we should anticipate. Unless we take action.
TINY LESSONS BLOG 
Oh I would love to see a butterfly tree! How beautiful Helen. We all have a responsibility to care for these gifts in nature 🌿🍀🌼🍀🌿
Yes, we do! My pictures really don’t do justice to the beauty of the ‘butterfly tree’ – it was wonderful and they stayed around the salt marsh for a long time. I still saw a few in our garden today. Happy Holidays to you and yours, Karen!
Thankyou Helen, you too 💕
Thanks for the sentiments as well as the pictures.
Thank you, Susan. I wish you a wonderful Christmas week.
I watch the bird too. What an incredible eye to eye shot…
That shot was taken here on the beach when I saw a Ringbilled Gull fly straight towards me. It passed just inches above my head. Happy you liked it.
You caught it in the second. That’s a Wow there Ms. NatGeo.
Beautiful words and photos Helen. I appreciate your passion for birds and earth care. I hope we wake up, but if not, I have a perverse comfort in knowing that nature can reboot, with or without us.
I love the flying owl image!
Yes, like you, I have lots of passion for the environment and the earth. And I have a feeling that lots of work is required by environmentalists and scientists in the coming years to keep those important issues in focus. But I’m sorry to say that the flying bird in my lead picture was a Ringbilled Gull – I wish it would have been the Snowy Owl – I would love to see one ‘live’ 🙂
Good posting.
Thanks Maverick!
Beautiful!
Thank you Stephanie! I wish you a great Christmas week!
Enjoyed seeing all those monarchs at the “feeding station.”
I oscillate between optimism and pessimism. We are moving in the right direction in many ways . . . but lagging behind in others. Time will tell.
Thanks Nancy! I agree that the last few years we have moved in the right direction, but now I’m quite worried about the environment and a possible reversal of some important regulations that have helped protect nature and wildlife.
Stunning & wonderful!
Thank you, Cindy, for your kind comment.
Very nice shots Tiny! 🙂
Thank you my friend 🙂
Yes, agreed! Nature’s fragility must be in the hands of compassionate people. Political power has no say over nature.
I so agree with you Kathy! I wish you a wonderful Christmas week.
And a wonderful Christmas season to you, Helen!
Wow, beautiful photographs and a very poignant message. I LOVE the butterfly tree, can’t believe the close image you have of the monarch coming in to land! We have buddleia trees (known as butterfly trees) which are popular with butterflies during the summer – a sight to behold!
Thank you Annika! That tree full of Monarchs was truly exquisite. My picture doesn’t really do justice to the sight, and therefore I tried to get a few close-ups. Happy you have your own butterfly tree!
The only sad issue regarding the buddleia is that there are fewer and fewer butterflies attracted to it each year – highlighting the disappearance of many butterflies across Europe. I don’t know if America has the same decline in their number?
How beautifully put my friend, many of your Monach butterflies will make their way across the ocean to our country, and I will see them fly in over our beaches worn from a long journey, to share with us their beauty and connect out hearts in gratitude to a truly remarkable Creator.
Beautifully put, my friend! It is incredible who resilient these beautiful creatures are – little miracles 🙂 I hope some of them will bring greetings from us at the salt marsh. Have a blessed Christmas week, Ashley.
A great take on for the WPC, Helen! These captures are incredible! I saw some butterflies yesterday when it was low 70F, today is a different story… 🙂
Thank you for your visit and kind comment, Amy. These beautiful little creatures are still hanging around here…right now we have summer temps of around 80F. I wouldn’t mind a bit cooler for the holidays 🙂
80F! That will made a lot of people jealous. I remember when we visited Tampa last December, it was at around 80F. 🙂
You are so welcome again 🙂 And next time we’ll need to meet!
Next time! 😍
I pray, too, for the same things, Tiny. We badly need to come together to find a way to live sustainably on this little blue planet. And try to live in harmony with our prayers. Love the butterfly shots!
Thank you Barbara. We have the same awareness and the same aspirations. I have to say I am a bit more worried now than I used to be, and more aware of the urgency to come together. The butterflies are still hanging around here today, I saw a few in our garden this morning.
How to get to a better place is the difficulty. Most of us would like to be there but our sat navs have been hacked by corporate interests and our moral compasses are astray. The journey looks very tricky.
I agree with you. It looks tricky, and a bit more so this year than before.
Wonderful pictures. I like your banner photo of a Snowy Owl.
Thank you, Hien. I so wish it would be a picture of a Snowy Owl – it would be my first shot of this beautiful bird. But this was a Ringbilled Gull flying right towards me at eye-hight. There is much similarity, but the owl’s eyes would be ‘level’ forward 🙂
How wonderful to see a butterfly tree, Helen. I echo your sentiments. xx
Thank you, dear Sylvia! By now you’ll be on your way up north…I’ll be on the cruise with you …in my imagination, which you know if fairly wild 🙂 XX
Wow! You had perfect timing…and captured it heavenly! ❤
Thank you my friend! I hope you’re having a great Christmas week ❤
Watching birds learns me a lot..You put gre
great photos i would say
Thank you natuurfreak. I have learned so much about the birds…and from the birds 🙂
Magical tree with the Monarchs, what a blessing to see this…
It was magical indeed…and my wish is to see such an abundance of Monarchs also in years to come.
Ah! I can’t tell you how much I love this post, Helen! A butterfly tree…really?…the stuff dreams are made of 😉 And I saw that vibrant beautiful blue sky in Florida today…it is one of my favorite things! Blessings ♡
Happy you enjoyed the butterfly tree my friend ❤ Our sky right now, on the other side of Florida, has blue patches, but also clouds. That's how life is – intermittently bright and a bit cloudy 🙂 Blessings to you too, Lorrie!
What a wonderful shot of the Ring-billed Gull; he’s a beauty, Helen. And the Butterfly tree is simply gorgeous. We have quite a few Pelicans in Australia; however, I’ve not seen these with their greenish under-wing. A great image!
Unfortunately, it is too late for many species. I read a disturbing article recently regarding Australian mammals, reptiles and bird species where it was stated that feral cats are currently responsible for their declining numbers. For example; 29 indigenous mammals have been made extinct since 1788 (when cats were first introduced); one cat eating between 3 – 20 native animals per day! Naturally, reptiles and birds are a part of their diet.
I love all animals, as well is known of me. However, when humans refrain from ‘good thinking’ the environment, and the animal kingdoms, are generally the first to suffer.
A huge challenge for those of us who care!
Thank you for your very thoughtful comment, Carolyn. I am reading many alarming reports from all over the world…and in my little head I’m thinking about ways to make a difference. It is a huge challenge…somehow those of us who care have to come together to get our voice heard. XXX
Great pictures! The butterfly tree is amazing.
Happy you enjoyed the Monarchs, Sheryl. My pictures don’t do justice to the beauty I was lucky to witness.
💜💛💜
Thanks Catherine ❤
The initial owl photo is fabulous Tiny. What an incredible shot. Seeing the monarchs is a very good sign as too few fly the skies any more.
All a big treat!
Have a most beautiful Christmas season, Eddie
Thank you dear Eddie. I wish the lead photo was a Snowy Owl. Unfortunately I have not see one ‘live’ as yet. I realized that the Ringbilled Gull flying straight towards me is very similar looking, but the eyes of the Gull here are not “level” forward as they would be on an owl. It was wonderful to still have the privilege to see so many Monarchs – a rare sight for which I am grateful.
How beautiful ! We often get “butterfly trees” here during goldenrod season. But the best ever was when I visited a monarch layover station in California. It was incredible. Thousands upon thousands seemed wonderful until I learned there used to be millions each year. You’re right, action is key.
Breathtaking photos, Helen — I so appreciate your thousands of nature photographs over the years, my friend. You fill so many people with beautiful images of nature, thank you for this action you have taken.
These are phenomenal shots, Tiny!!
Thank you Susan!
Marvelous!
Tiny, I absolutely lovely your snowy owl header! And the photo of pelicans in flight! Wonderful stuff 🙂
Thank you, Paula.