The spicebush butterflies are found in the Lake
States, and Ontario, east to S. New England, south along Atlantic
to central Florida and Gulf, and west to E. Great Plains.
Last summer I captured the sunshine and shadows
on the flowers in my garden. Gloriosa Daisies, Rudbeckia hirta,
also called the Black-eyed Susan, produce a large number of showy
flowers over a long period.
"Native to Russia
and Poland, lilacs were introduced to western Europe during premedieval
times. The oldest stand of them in the New World, planted
by French settlers during the mid-17th century, is at Mackinac Island,
Michigan. Lilacs have been around for so long and are so
tough, modern archaeologists use sightings of their long-buried
remains as an indication that a structure or even a settlement existed
nearby."
