Attracting Bees and Butterflies

Do-Something-Everyday, August 1, 2016

The coneflower plants on my front yard attract all types of insects, the best of which are the butterflies. Yesterday, this big Spicebush Swallowtail came to visit and stayed long enough for me take multiple photos from various angles, close-up using my smartphone. Take a look:

Linked to this week's Image-in-ing Photo Challenge

Thanks for stopping by.

Butterfly Season

Do-Something-Everyday, July 21, 2016

It is summer which means that butterflies are here. New Jersey has its  share of native butterflies (about eighteen), but only a few show up in my garden and every year they are different. This year I am seeing  a lot more Cabbage White butterflies. Last year it was the  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. One year, there was the Red Admiral which looked like a second cousin of the Monarch butterfly. The images of past and present inspired me to create the butterfly soaked art above. For this piece, I did the initial drawing using pyrographic tools. I used transparent watercolors for the painting. I like how it has turned. I posted the image on Instagram and Facebook and got lots of "likes". It is available in my Etsy shop here.

Below are a couple of photos of real butterflies.

Thanks for visiting. Linked to Paint Party Friday and Art Journal Journey.