Common Buckeye Butterfly

All posts tagged Common Buckeye Butterfly

Colorful Butterflies return to the Rainforest

Posted by Lee Hiller on April 27, 2015
Posted in: Hot Springs National Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

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Last year Butterflies were scarce in Hot Springs National Park.  Many friends throughout the country also reported seeing less insects including Butterflies in 2014.  Nature is resilient if we give her space to breathe and recover from human devastation.  It has been a blessing to see colorful wings in 2015.

Please be thoughtful in how you protect your plants by avoiding chemical pesticides in favor of interspersing repelling plants. Also a mix of garlic and cayenne makes a great plant spray.

Love to ALL!
Lee

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Tornado Shreds Caddo Bend Trail Forest in Lake Ouachita State Park

Posted by Lee Hiller on November 11, 2012
Posted in: Lake Ouachita State Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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Lake Ouachita Caddo Bend Trail Tornado Damage

In April 2011 a Tornado ripped across Lake Ouachita State Park in Arkansas.  It uprooted Trees all along the Caddo Bend Trail which is a 4 mile loop on a peninsula that reaches out into the lake.  As you can see in the photograph above it razed several sections of the Forest on both the north and south side of the trail.  I had not hiked the trail since the winter of 2011 (Lake Ouachita State Park – Caddo Bend Trail Pt 1 & Pt 2) and now I found myself in what felt like an alien landscape. It is dramatic to step from dense Forest into places devoid of Trees. One moment cradled in leafy beauty then suddenly out in the bright sunlight surrounded by fallen and snapped off Trees.

Change is always present in Natures plans so I look forward to the future rebirth of the trail flora and fauna.  The new open space on the trail will eventually be covered in Wildflowers each spring.  The Wildflowers will bring Butterflies, Bees, Dragonflies and other beautiful Insects.  New small mammals and reptiles will build their homes in the snags created by the fallen Trees.  There are many new lake view locations as well.  Nothing stays the same…

Love to ALL!
Lee

Spectacular Autumn Leaves, Butterflies and Flowers in Garvan Woodland Gardens

Posted by Lee Hiller on November 8, 2012
Posted in: Garvan Woodland Gardens. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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I have tried to describe the beauty of this Autumn hike, but I kept deleting the text… Sometimes the photographs speak more clearly than even the finest words pouring out from my Heart… In a word the beauty of Autumn in Garvan Woodland Gardens was spectacular.

Love To ALL!
Lee

Come Dance with Me in Autumn Leaves

Posted by Lee Hiller on October 21, 2012
Posted in: Hot Springs National Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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Come Dance with Me in Autumn Leaves and Feel the Wonder of Natures Beauty.  Within each season is a secret to be revealed, open your Soul to see what is hidden.

Love to ALL!
Lee

In Autumn the Forest Among Colorful Leaves and Wings

Posted by Lee Hiller on October 31, 2011
Posted in: Hot Springs National Park. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

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I feel a sense of sadness as I bid farewell to the gorgeous Asters and Goldenrod that have decorated the trail with their beauty these past few months.  Beautiful butterflies catch a lift on the gentle breeze rustling the leaves and soar rapidly above us.  Their delicate wings carry them across the sky to feed on the fading wildflowers.  I show my beloved husband one of my favorite Forest camouflage artists, an Eastern Comma Butterfly.  Wings folded it mimics a dried autumn leaf, as it’s wings open a burst of orange is displayed.

The trails are radiating gold with a canopy of confetti leaves in red yellow bronze and green.  Small colorful leaves shimmer in the sunlight as the light breezes free them from the branches to sprinkle downward upon to the trail.  Tree sculptures begin to reappear as their once abundant foliage spills softly to the ground.  I love the graceful ballet of twisting branches amid the vanishing canopy.  The beautiful Autumn Forest is changing quickly.

Love to ALL!
Lee