July - In Fine Form

I went outdoors to take a few photographs in the herb garden, 

for an upcoming book project, but I heard the meadow singing.

I walked out past the cultivated garden and into the field beyond,

where milkweed reflected the early evening light.

Self heal nodded gently amid taller gasses, near the edge of the woods.

Stepping through the first thin line of trees,

a faint scent like fine oregano drifted up from the cool earth.

Pale brown butterflies drifted like bits of leaf on a summer wind,

weaving in and out of dead branches and settling only briefly on the trunks of the trees

as I passed through a shadowed glade.

Blue jay feathers

and blue-eyed grass winked at me from the forest floor.

And goldenrod

and clusters of fleabane greeted me 

as I stepped back into the sunshine.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you the joy of discovery.