Of Mushrooms and Butterflies

Sitting outside on a beautiful summer day, my husband and I saw tufts of "smoke" coming out of the mulch next to the house.  This happened frequently and in various spots and we were at a loss to figure out what was going on.  Upon closer inspection, what looked like dead leaves were really "cup fungi" which are the most common of mushrooms.  They literally shoot out hundreds of thousands of spores.  This looks just like smoke!!  We used to have a veritable garden of mushrooms when we first moved in but over the years the lawn has taken over.  I don't ever remember these so they were probably imported with the mulch!

I continue to keep my eye on my neighbor's butterfly bush and was rewarded by a visit from a White Admiral the other day.  I have seen them before but this one did pose for me!

A really nice Spicebush Swallowtail also visited and kept his wings open enough for a picture!!

Humid days like yesterday are reserved for working on the two Lone Star quilts I made a couple of  years ago.  The first is completed and the second is almost done!!