If you look carefully here you will see a hummingbird moth gathering nectar from these buddleia flowers. This little scene is an everyday one for me through the summer months, so it’s a good example of “l’émerveillement du quotidien” which I’ve written about many times on this blog. It’s that French phrase which I find hard to translate well into English, but it means something like “the marvel of the every day”. That’s my experience of life. There is something to be amazed by, something which stops me, and makes me wonder, something that delights me, every single day. In fact, usually, I have several such experiences, and every one of them makes my life richer.
These hummingbird moths are new to me since I emigrated from Scotland. I didn’t even know they existed till my first summer here. Now I recognise the deep thrum of their high speed wings before I see them. Like butterflies they seem to fly randomly, flitting from flower to flower, probing each one with a long thin proboscis. Can you see their incredible antennae? They are simply astonishing, beautiful creatures.
Isn’t it amazing how these bushes, commonly know as “butterfly bushes”, produce these long, tapering bunches of tiny flowers which give off a strong, delightful scent. I don’t know if it’s the scent or the colour which attracts all these pollinators but this mutually beneficial relationship between them makes it hard to imagine the one without the other.
How on Earth did all this come to be?
It takes my breath away.
Heroes Not Zombies 
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