Virginia, with butterflies and parents

We took the train down to my parents' place in Virginia for the week. It's great to see them, it's good to be around a dog, and it's *fantastic* to again be in a place where there are delightful insects and plants and birds everywhere. The ecosystem is so rich here compared to the sparse, disconnected plantings in Somerville (as green as it is).

The highlights so far have been an enormous funnel spider, extremely persistent butterflies that want to lick my face and don't mind being picked up and put down again (some kind of fritillary?), and some wheel bugs in the act of mating.