The Series: Bees & Butterflies

Some of the best things in life are things we stumble into rather than explicitly seek.  For me, I count many things in this category, including my majors in college, but one of the more fruitful has become a favorite subject of mine: bees and butterflies.

As a child, I was petrified of bees - to this day, I am still wary of hornets - and adored chasing after butterflies in my grandmother's backyard.  As I've grown older, I continue to be fascinated by their movement, the sheer physics of their flight, and their drive and intent in moving methodically from flower to flower in pursuit of that next great hit of pollen. 

Their variety in color and size seems limitless, especially when combined with the vibrant colors of the flowers they frequent.  The delicacy of their movement across the petals and amongst the stamen of the blooms betrays something beyond pure instinct and approaching intelligence.

One of the most special moments I've had was while I was driving the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville and Marion in western North Carolina.  I pulled over at each overlook to take in the spectacular views, but at one of the stops, I was more captivated by the flock of monarchs that was gathering around a patch of yellow flowers.  There were at least twenty, perhaps more, of the butterflies, all flitting about from flower to flower, intent on their mission.  I had and would spend most of the afternoon gaping at the rolling peaks of the Appalachians, but for this time, I was mesmerized by these creatures.




The intersection of flowers and the creatures that pollinate them also offers an opportunity to capture nature at its most pure: the connection forged between species for mutual benefit and continuation of life. Their flight patterns seem almost a dance with the wind, an invisible partner as they carry on their mission in our gardens and across the fields.