Photo-a-Day Week 41

Week 41 seems to have more blooms with butterflies; Fall brings an abundance of these winged beauties. I need to read more about Fritillary butterflies. I have seen some that are quite a bit smaller than the ones I have pictured below. 

Day 279-

I noticed this tiny mushroom in the garden and bent down to photograph it. After looking at what I captured I realized there was a small snail on the mushroom. Before the photo, I thought it was a bump on the mushroom. Pays to lean in and look closely!

Snail on Mushroom

Day 280-

The Pineapple Sage, Salvia elegans, blooms in October and it attracts Cloudless Sulphur butterflies. With the sun behind the butterfly, it really glowed. 

Cloudless Sulphur on Pineapple Sage

Day 281-

These beauties are Gulf Fritillary butterflies. As I mentioned above, I have seen smaller Fritillary butterflies, and after reading more, I found that there are several Fritillary butterflies in South Carolina. Perhaps the ones I see that are smaller are the Variegated Fritillary.  These are enjoying the nectar of the Ironweed that is blooming in the garden. 

Fritillary butterflies on Ironweed

Day 282-

We arrived at the grocery store this week to find a fire truck sitting by the entrance. I have no idea if anything was wrong. I tried a few views of the truck to see if I could get a good photo. While I used this one, I had others from which to choose. Still not sure if this was the better choice.  One of the other choices is below.

Fire truck at the grocery store

Day 283-

I have had this Encore azalea for years. The deer have pruned it over the years, taking flower buds away with the tasty leaves. For some reason, the deer allowed it to bloom this fall. Encore azalea 'Autumn Twist' blooms twice, once in the spring and then in the fall. 

Encore!

Day 284-

We went to a concert in Greenville this week, at the Radio Room. I like the open ceiling where you can see the ductwork and structure supporting the ceiling and lighting throughout the area. 

Radio Room

Day 285-

I try to use fewer paper napkins. By the dining room table is a basket full of colorful cloth napkins. When the kids visit, everyone is assigned a color, and that is their napkin for a meal or two. They wash easily and when they are worn out, they make good dusters. 

Rainbow Selection

Discarded photos-

I didn't choose the black and white image of the fire truck because I wanted a bit of the color to pop. This filter is from an app called 'Prisma'. Some of the filters are free, and others are behind a paywall. I only use the free ones.

The day I chose the Cloudless Sulphur on Pineapple Sage, I also had this little beauty in the possible photos. It is interesting to see the inner spiral of the snail shell. While not the first choice, worth sharing.

This brings another week to a close. There are only eleven weeks to go! Keep coming back, at the end of the year I would love to hear which were your favorites! 

©Copyright 2025 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet, The Queen of Seaford.

Photo-a-Day Week 37

Welcome back to another weekly roundup of photos. Some garnered more attention on Facebook than others.

Day  251- 

While playing with the dogs in the front yard, I looked to the back and saw an odd shape in the tree. Usually it is a bird, Mourning Dove or Red-bellied Woodpecker or Brown Thrasher. Turned out it was a squirrel! They don't normally sit up that high. 

Squirrel in Silhouette 

Also observed that morning was a pair of Bald Eagles soaring high in the sky. I only had my cellphone with me, so the photo isn't great. My choice for the photo of the day was the squirrel, while it also wasn't a great photo, it was a nice silhouette. 

Day 252-

Since we have had Millie, our kitty, we have made sure to keep the door to the room to the toilet closed. As a small kitten she would love to play with the roll of toilet paper, unrolling it all the way to the cardboard tube. So, as a rule, we keep the door closed. I guess one of us left it open. Millie unrolled a nearly full roll of toilet paper. When she does that we say that she is having a party.  This was a photo that got a lot of laughs. 

When the Door is Left Open

Day 253-

While getting ready to water the containers with the hose, I re-encountered the Carolina Praying Mantis. The long, tall shadow made on the wall was impressive. Thought that it would make a good photo choice. Hope you agree.

I'm Still Here

Day 254-

It is Ironweed season. The variety I have growing in my yard is quite tall, perhaps Vernonia noveboracensis. This one grows 6-8 feet tall. I have found there is a nice, more garden-friendly-sized variety called Iron Butterfly. I may try to move these tall giants to a better space. It is a gorgeous shade of purple, and pollinators love it. 

Ironweed

Day 255-

When we first moved here, I planted a variety of Panicum virgatum, a native grass. There are several varieties of Panicum virgatum. I have/had three different ones- Shenandoah, Heavy Metal, and Dallas Blues. This one pictured is either Heavy Metal or Dallas Blues. I can't remember which of these two I planted in which location. Shenandoah is smaller and has green blades that turn red in the fall. The two I can't remember specifics of location, are taller, and have bluer foliage. I will have to try and determine if this one is Dallas Blues or Heavy Metal. The morning light illuminated the seedheads so nicely.

Panicum

The rejected photo was the original photo, in color. I thought the black and white image showed the brightness of the seedheads better. Which do you like better?

Day 256-

This day's image is of something that sits on my dresser. It is the telegram that my dad sent to my mom's parents, my grandparents, telling of my birth! My dad was in the Army, and he and my mom were stationed overseas, telephone calls were unheard of at that time. A telegram was sent to announce my birth. It is faded and tough to read, but I love having it.

Telegram!

Day 257-

This beauty is a native plant growing in my side yard. I have others in various spots in the yard, this one is the largest. Deer love it, so many remain small. Its botanical name is Euonymus americanus, with many common names. Our favorite is Hearts A' Bustin' because of a song by Billie Joe Shaver. Another name is Strawberry Bush. You can see why it has these names. These drupes really pop against the green foliage. 

Hearts A' Bustin'

This brings us to the end of another week. Thanks for stopping by. 

©Copyright 2025 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet, The Queen of Seaford.