Easter was early this year and spring came a bit late, so neither coincided with the other. The pasqueflowers made up for that unfortunate circumstance by being extra plentiful.
My Deer Friend, 2021 Edition
I love it when deer stop and look straight at me and my camera. I’m pretty sure this happens more often in the spring than any other time. I am always honored by their trust in me and often thank them out loud for allowing me to take their photo.
First Butterfly of the Year
And it’s a Sandia hairstreak, which I found earlier today, exactly when and where I would think I would. But today was even more special than usual because, after I’d taken a number of photos, I hiked further, to an area I’ve always thought should be a great habitat for Sandia hairstreaks but where I’ve never seen any. My plan was just to sit on a rock and soak up the sun, a bit like a lizard. Just a few minutes after I sat down though, a small flying thing came and landed right on my shirt and, lo and behold! it was a Sandia hairstreak! Later it came back and perched on my camera case for a while.
So here’s the thing: I’ve always thought it’s a huge gift when a butterfly lands on me (or anyone else), and a number of butterflies have indeed landed on me over the years. But I don’t believe any of the small butterflies (hairstreaks, blues, or coppers) have ever landed on me before today. So I understand this as a benediction of sorts — perhaps something to add to the blessing of my first COVID shot a few days ago, and/or a reminder that the world is finally, for people at least, starting to reopen, however slowly.
Multi-Colored Lichens
I know I’ve complained many times here about central New Mexico’s noticeable lack of color in the winter, so I won’t do it again — at least not right now, at least not much. In any case, that lack of color often pushes me to photograph lichens during the winter. I think they are so fascinating and love looking at them up close — something I can do so much better with the aid of a camera than solely with my eyes. I found these near La Luz yesterday (the underlying rock is granite).
Fading Sunflower
I’ve always loved sunflowers (I may have mentioned this before, possibly ad infinitum) but I’ve developed a bit of an obsession the last couple of years with those that are on their way out. They exude happiness (at least to my eyes), even as they fade.