A monarch, pipevine swallowtails, and goldfinches

There was a monarch visiting the Heliopsis and Joe-Pye in the pocket meadow in front of the house today. 

I didn't manage to get back out quickly enough to get a picture, but as I did come out (with iPhone in hand),  a goldfinch was feeding on purple coneflower seeds, and left quickly, with my approach.

This monarch was out on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday (my gardening companion's photo).

When I was picking beans later in the day (a twice a day activity), a pipevine swallowtail drifted by, accompanying all of the usual flower visitors in late afternoon.

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Views out the front door

Female goldfinch gleaning seed

I spent the morning cleaning up the last of the beans and squash from my vegetable beds in the mountains.

I won't be back for several weeks, although my gardening companion will be as well as the folks who keep an eye on things, etc., so I wanted to tidy up the garden.

Echinacea fruits

view through the front door

The joy of the morning, aside from satisfaction in getting the beds cleaned up, was how fun the pocket meadow was!  Talk about lively.

First, a female goldfinch was gleaning seeds from Echinacea fruits that are already looking scruffy.

Then, a monarch dropped by to visit Aster flowers.

monarch on Aster 'October Skies'

And in between, a hummingbird whizzed by on her way to a Salvia flower.  What fun!

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