One afternoon while in Iowa, my brother took me to visit Reiman Gardens, a botanical garden associated with Iowa State University. When we arrived, we were informed that the butterfly exhibit would be closing in 10 minutes. It wasn’t a complete closure, just that we had 10 minutes to enter. We wandered around enjoying being surrounded by butterflies and their habitat.

Let me tell you about photographing butterflies when you’re in a hurry. You get a lot of pictures where the caption could be, “There was a butterfly there.”

I usually get up before my brother. Sundance, his cat tried to get me to feed him early. He would stand by his bowl while I was getting a cup of coffee and look at me.

“If you’re not going to feed me, why are you here?”

Sundance ― 1LinerWeds by Linda G. Hill

When Evil Chooses You, the third book in the Dreamers Alliance Series is currently on sale. You can get to if from the link below if you’d like to purchase a copy.

All five of my current books are now available in audio book form thanks to Amazon KDP’s Virtual Voice process. The voice is AI generated, but I can honestly say, it’s pretty darn good. The audio books are reasonably priced (all below $7 US) and, if you already own the Kindle version and want to add an audio version, you can do that for $1.99. There is a five-minute sample on the book page for each book. If you’re interested, click on any of the Dreamer’s Alliance book links below the image or on the link below for my latest book.

Bridge to Nowhere

71 responses to “Bright and Beautiful ― 1LinerWeds”

    1. Thanks Sadje. I’m glad you like them.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re welcome

        Liked by 1 person

  1. You were a sore disappointment to that cat, Dan! I like your favourite too. Blink, and they’ve gone!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I was, Jo. First, I took his bed. Then I wouldn’t let him sleep in my suitcase and then I wouldn’t sneak him a meal on the side.

      The butterflies were so hard to capture. It was like they were teasing me. But the ones that aren’t recorded exist in my memory. I’ll go back.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. I bet you fed him!! Lovely photos especially the last butterfly 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

    Liked by 1 person

    1. He’s on a restricted diet, and I had to play by the rules. Trust me, he didn’t go hungry while I was there. I did pamper him as best I could.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. You’ve got some beautiful shots, there, Dan. Good work gluing the creatures to the leaves!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks. They were hard to pin down.

      Like

  4. Viewing a butterfly enclosure turns any adult into a kid all over again. Such a great way to spend a day on your visit. You gotta give the kitty A for effort on an early meal request.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. When I first arrived, he tried the “You know, he hasn’t fed me yet today…” routine. He’s such a scam artist, but he’s a handsome boy.

      Visiting the butterflies was fun. IT was like being a kid again.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Scam artist pets bring such joy to human hearts.

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  5. Beautiful butterfly shots, Dan!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Hi Dan – well there’s hope Sundance isn’t there – worth a try – but coffee first, and hopefully another owner rising soon after! Those are scouring pads in the fountain – gosh they do funny thngs in Iowa!? That’s great you saw the Reiman gardens … and joined the Butterflies – we had a butterfly exhibit here for many a year … sadly closed. Good to see you had a happy time with your brother and Sundance! Cheers Hilary

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Hilary. I think my brother actually gives him an early breakfast and goes back to bed. Sundance is well fed, but always scamming for another meal.

      The butterfly exhibit has been there for many years. It was part of a very nice visit. There is so much to see at the Gardens.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Butterflies and bees. Very photogenic… if only they would stay still.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have lots of pictures of green leaves.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. And I’m sure they’re wonderful…
        😉

        Liked by 1 person

  8. You got me with “There was a butterfly here.” Like me trying to get a photo of the diving ducks. I think they move like that on purpose and laugh at us. So I see these photos as victories, and they are beauties. That last one is amazing, and I have no doubt that butterfly posed for you deliberately. They have their ways, just like Sundance!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have lots of “there was a bunny here.” They all know when we’re pointing a camera at them, and they delight in exiting the scene just before we click. Diving ducks, or duck butts, I have a few of those, too.

      I think a few of these did pose for me. It might have been a, “If I let you take this, will you go?” but I’ll take a pity pose.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I swallowed my coffee before I read this. You see how I’ve learned about blogging.

        I’ll take a pity post any time!

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I was worried about your keyboard.

          Liked by 1 person

  9. I love butterfly zoos. Nice photos Dan.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I think this is the only one I’ve been to, Sherry but I always enjoy it.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. That’s an amazing set of butterflies. I don’t think I’ve seen any of them before, especially not the black one.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Frank. I wouldn’t begin to be able to identify any of these.

      Liked by 1 person

  11. A wonderful post for Wednesday, Dan!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks GP! I’m always glad to help get us over the hump.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m needing a bigger boost every year!!

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Gwen M. Plano Avatar
    Gwen M. Plano

    Oh my, beautiful photos, Dan. You are an amazing photographer — and writer! 🦋🦋🦋

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Awww, thank you so much, Gwen. I’m glad you enjoyed these pictures.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. You said, “Let me tell you about photographing butterflies when you’re in a hurry. You get a lot of pictures where the caption could be, “There was a butterfly there.”. Let me tell you even when you’re not in a hurry that’s been my experience especially if they’re warmed up and flying all over the place! 😂

    That black one with the baby blue spots would be my favorite one too. It’s gorgeous! The one on the red flowers in your last image intrigues me with its colors and how well they match the flowers colors. Stunning!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. They do seem to be in constant motion, and they seem to know when you’re going to click the shutter.

      I wish I knew what they were, but I’ve never seen these around here.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I met a guy photographing butterflies at one of my kids softball or baseball games many years ago who taught me to get out very early in the morning in spots you know they live or fly because when they’re cold they land more often. When they warm up they’re flying all the time so it makes photographing them so much harder. He told me he catches them and puts them in the fridge for several minutes then photographs them for ID purposes then releases them.

        I found this and it has the two butterflies I really liked from your post listed! The Clipper …our favorite, and the other one I liked that blended in with the flowers is a Common Mormon.
        http://reimanbutterfly.com/gallery/inwing
        I hope you find out what they all are. 😊

        Like

  14. Murphy's Law Avatar
    Murphy’s Law

    LOVE today’s one-liner! Sundance does not mince words. He has no time for that. He’s too busy looking handsome and doing his “poor me” act. I just love this guy.

    Now butterflies are another thing I love. Every time I see one I act like it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a butterfly! Their beauty and grace just blow me away. Kudos for capturing the photos you did… not a easy task. The black butterfly is absolutely breathtaking!

    I’m going to steal the idea of those nylon poofs in the fountain and put one or two in a birdbath for the bees to cling to while getting a drink of water. Too often I find a drowned bee in one of the birdbaths because they couldn’t cling to anything. I put small rocks in for them to land on and get close to the water, but that didn’t work.

    Happy Hump Day Dan!

    Ginger 🦋

    Liked by 2 people

    1. That’s a great idea, Ginger. I’m going to steal that from you 😉

      Sundance plays that scene over ad over. Poor, poor, pitiful me. But he’s so dark handsome he tends to get his way.

      Like

  15. Poor Sundance isn’t here to present his side of the story. 😹

    I hear you on photographing the butterflies. We have a butterfly house the next town over that we have been to. I think I wound up deleting most of my photos. Blurs are nice, but not as many as I took. You did well, though.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Thanks Lois. I won’t tell you how many photos I have with leaves only.

      Sundance would tell you he never gets fed on time, often enough or in a large enough quantity. But…

      Liked by 1 person

  16. I’ve been to one in Houston. Loved it

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This is the only one I remember going to. It really is a nice experience.

      Like

  17. You have some lovely butterfly shots, Dan. The sunset is beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks John. There’s something about those endless skies that makes sunrise and sunset even nicer.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I haven’t seen them for years. I lived in Illinois in the 70s and could see forever.

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Ames! I was even more mesmerized by the window there where you can watch chrysalises (or chrysalides) in different stages, with butterflies just beginning to emerge. A wonderful place. We took two children of Bosnian refugees there one day to enjoy the outside garden. Another memory was Adis working on a baby tooth while we were there, and he got it pulled!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The gardens are a fantastic place to wander through. My niece works there (I think she does program development). They were adding a few of the recently emerged butterflies to the garden as we left.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. Your knowledge of butterflies seems to be as deep as mine! Lovely shots, Dan.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ha ha. Similar to my knowledge of birds. But Deborah found a couple for us. She always comes through.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Haha! Love it. Aren’t friends grand?

        Like

  20. I think you got great butterfly pics! I love when you throw in a crane (or a bridge or a train, or a tobacco barn…)

    Like

  21. And yet you managed to get several gorgeous butterfly pictures. That must have been such a whimsical place! Thanks for sharing it with us, Dan. Hugs.

    Like

  22. Those butterflies are incredible!

    Like

  23. petespringerauthor Avatar
    petespringerauthor

    I think I may have mentioned this to you before, but my oldest brother attended Iowa State (Majoring in chemistry). One of his biggest interests is butterflies. He is the vice president of the North American Butterfly Association.

    Like

  24. You were able to capture some beautiful ones Dan.

    Like

  25. It is definitely difficult to get good shots of butterflies. These are gorgeous, Dan.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I thought it would be easier in an enclosed space, but they still had plenty of room to move out of sight. I’ve never seen ones like this,

      Like

      1. I have been to a local butterfly farm and most of the butterflies were imported. It was very hot inside.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Yeah, this place was hot, and most of the butterflies were from Mexico.

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          1. I think the ones I saw were from South America too. Tropical butterflies.

            Liked by 1 person

  26. Nevertheless, great butterfly photos .

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Ha! We have two cats with the same attitude. We’re here to provide food and petsin that order. xD

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Loved the butterflies in the images. The last one is my favorite. I forgot to wish you on Fourth of July so here’s a belated wish – Happy Fourth of July to you Dan. By the way, on that day I watched a recently released movie called Civil War. Have you seen it, or heard about it?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have heard about it, but I have not seen it. – Thanks.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I heard great reviews about it and it is available for free on Amazon Prime. Personally, I didn’t liked it much because I felt the story had nothing to say. It was just bunch of accidentally-met war correspondents going from NYC to Washington DC and what the horrors they witness and experience on the way. Of course, I’m not American but I read a lot of history and hence I’ve read good amount of information on the real American Civil War. Nevertheless, the movie is minting money based on its action scenes which are pretty immersive.

        Liked by 1 person

  29. I would have definitely liked that stop. Butterfly exhibits are always fascinating.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It is always a nice place to visit.

      Liked by 1 person

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