Join Nature Notes Sunday at 12:00 am EST to Friday at 11:00 pm EST. More information can be found at the top of the blog on a separate page, but it really is easy. What are you or have you seen and enjoyed in nature? It can be from your own backyard, the local park, out on a hike or anywhere. What plants and animals catch your interest? Do you garden? Have you read a good book on nature? Write a blog post with a photo, a story, a poem, anything goes because I love to see what Mother Nature is up to in your area. Please submit one blog post per week and link back to nature notes in some way.

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I live in Western New York state and we aren’t prone to any majorly destructive weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, or major forest fires. We have winter snow and cold temperatures and hot and humid summers, but nothing like what parts of the planet are dealing with. Fires and hurricanes and torrential rain is all over the news and I am constantly looking in areas where I know friends and family live. I don’t want to get into a climate change discussion now as it was a long week. My solace continues to be my yard and the wildlife that visits.

I am always thinking of and adding plants to help pollinators. This is a small garden bed near the garage that has mostly orange butterfly weed planted in it. Too bad that this pretty and useful plant like all milkweed species carried the name “weed.” I think it is a beautiful pop of color and has helped monarchs to have a place to lay their eggs and other insects that eat the leaves, flowers and the seeds of this plant.

Asclepias tuberosa -(Butterflyweed)

Monarch butterfly laying her eggs on my butterfly weed plants..

butterfly weed

Tiny white monarch butterfly egg

monarch butterfly egg

Monarch Butterfly

Nature walks are wonderful. But you don’t have to travel to special location to enjoy Mother Nature. There is so much to see in your own neighborhood or even in your own back or front yard. Get a guide-book of the wildlife in your area and learn the calls of birds and frogs and toads. So many times I hear a bird that lets me know what I am looking for in the trees.

Have a wonderful week from Michelle!