I've been walking past this Cottonwood tree every day lately just to catch a whiff of its wonderful springtime fragrance.
For a time, I watched a busy bee buzzing and foraging among the topmost branches of a willow.
It's great to see the stands of Poplars leafing out again. They are one of our most prolific trees, providing shade for us during the hot summer days.
Sunday
I zoomed in quickly (with my camera) to take this picture of the Mourning Cloak butterfly while it rested for a moment or two on a dry and brittle fireweed stalk. Yesterday, I saw two of them chasing each other, first fluttering closer to the ground, then rising upwards to the sky. They seem to like this open spot where the fireweed grow.