Butterflies

My July blog comes late but full of surprises! I have a huge collection of butterfly photos which I want to share some with you. I call them "flowers that flutter silently" as I always consider each butterfly a piece of art that human hands can not imitate. These magical flying creatures bring life to where they fly around - flower gardens, rushing streams, woods and even right in your midst at unexpected time. They attract little children and lovers alike as these insects symbolize love, gracefulness and beauty.

Butterflies appear in the poems of renowned poets, fascinate the beholder of famous paintings, and adorn costumes, hair wears and tapestries or embroideries. They even appear in picture stories of fairylands!

The life-span of a butterfly is short and butterfly lovers often mount these beautiful insects on picture frames to preserve their delicate and brightly colored wings of felt-like texture. Some species possess wings that could easily camouflage with their surroundings. Some even bluff their predators with the feature or design of their wings. What an amazing creation! This is God's fingerprint. Take the time to admire those fluttering creatures in your backyard.

I'm back! I hope you will enjoy these new pictures I have for you. These were taken in a nature lover's paradise called Sebana Cove Marina Resort in Johor Baru, Malaysia. I felt it was close to home because Philippines and Malaysia have many things in common when it comes to the flora and fauna. I saw this huge monitor lizard basking in the sun near the pond. When I knelt closer to take a snapshot, it turned its head without any threat and just stared at me as if waiting to do my job at once. It looked awesome and I've never seen a monitor lizard this big before.
The next picture displays a red dragonfly that remained very still as I took half a dozen pictures of it in different angles. In fact, I saw three other species of dragonflies in that rare moment and was able to capture each of them in pictures as well.

These little winged creatures are often ignored because they're too brisk to avoid you when you get close to them. Yet, if you look at them closely while perching, you will see the fingerprints of God manifested in their beauty. They are nature's little exterminators - their preys are insects like them which are often considered pests by farmers. In our country, the farmers do their best to protect them so they, in turn, by instinct help protect their crops from little devourers. Hmm...little known facts about dragonflies.

Nature lovers welcome!

Reminiscence

I grew up near the coastal area of my hometown. Everyday I could feel the soothing sea breeze brushing against my hair and enjoy the unspoilt air that used to permeate the shoreline. Since I was a young boy I grew accustomed to seeing the coconut trees stretching endlessly along the coastline and it was always a great experience walking barefooted and feeling the smooth sand under my feet. For me it was perfect music to hear the rustling of coconut leaves above me as well as hear the distant sound of foaming waves tossing relentlessly towards the sandy beach. Oftentimes I would treat myself sitting on a rock and watch the setting sun's slow descent in the horizon as the sky displayed its hues of yellow, orange and magenta. Then twilight would beckon me with a hush to head for home. Such tranquility always comforted my heart. Oh, how I long to experience them again!

How many times we take things around us for granted and simply shove them off as common - only to discover long after that when we want them again, they are not the same anymore, or else they are gone forever. This is why I like to capture every rare moment in its grandeur with my camera and the impression is preserved through photographs. We will have stories to tell our children what the world looked like when we were young.

Crab Spider

This is the milky-white crab spider that is endemic to the Philippines. Its color can easily blend in with the flower or foliage where it awaits patiently for its prey.

The Snow Mountain's halo

This is the majestic snow mountain of Lijiang, China, with a halo. Tourists are mesmerized by her grandeur especially when the peaks are capped with snow during winter.

The field in deep yellow

This is an oilseed rape field in full bloom photographed in Yunnan, China. The scene is breath-taking if viewed from the top during the spring season. If you travel by land in China, this will be a major attraction along small villages.