July 4th Favorite

This is my favorite photo from the recent July 4th weekend, not because it's a great photo technically, but because it symbolizes my experiences over the weekend, namely "looking for one thing, but finding another." I visited several different stands of Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, mainly looking out for Monarch butterflies, in any stage of development I could find, Red Milkweed Beetles, and the Small Milkweed Bug. I found none of those, but instead found many other interesting things, including the Checkered Clerid Beetle above. As I photographed flowers, bugs, and miscellaneous other natural features over the weekend, I found three separate story lines forming in my head. Over the next day or two, I hope to unscramble my field notes and photos and try to relate these three stories. For me, it was a great weekend during which I was continually thankful that I could maintain "physical distancing" from other humans, although I am also looking forward to the day when that may no longer be necessary.