Red admiral

I found this butterfly when I was weeding this morning. It was very sluggish, and had its antennae folded back under its wings for a long time -- perhaps it was newly come from its chrysalis? It kept its wings closed for some minutes, even as I picked off the sprig it was resting on, and carried up to the house, admiring the beautiful mottled black and brown and tan of the underside of its wings, like the cross-section of a sedimentary rock -- then it suddenly dropped its wings open to reveal the orange stripes.

This is a red admiral (Vanessa atalanta). I regret to say that our back yard has quite a lot of stinging nettles -- or had, before this morning -- although apparently the upside is that the red admiral caterpillar is quite fond of them.

(The pictures are a bit blurry ...)

Rosa "Cécile Brünner"

"Cécile Brünner" -- also called the "Sweetheart Rose", "Climbing Mignon", or "Buttonhole Rose" -- is a polyantha first introduced in 1881, and in its climbing form in 1894. It has long been a favorite of gardeners, for its pretty pale-pink flowers and its hardiness in a wide variety of climates and conditions, as well as resistance to most rose diseases. It can grow from 15 to 30 ft. (4.7 to 9 m), but is easily kept smaller.

This particular bush was whacked back to stubs a few months ago, but has bounced back quite prettily.

Color baskets

Happy Mother's Day!