Butterflies

This is Claudine.

We have a large butterfly bush in our back yard along with a couple additional small ones. The butterflies love to visit often and it always reminds me of our dear friend Connie Jespersen. It is nice to have a little piece of her here with me and close to my heart. There are several different kinds; white, yellow and red. They flutter everywhere on sunny days, and it really is a joyful thing to watch them swoop and dive, and reach for the sky. They play with each other. In our two weeks here, we have had only four sunny days, which I understand is pretty typical! The Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, or "Land of the Long White Cloud." Experiencing sun is a welcome relief and I do feel joy every time it bursts forth. The butterflies remind me to be even more grateful. I was able to capture one of these butterflies in photos for you. I think that this breed is called the “Red Admiral.”