I stepped out on the front porch early this morning to say farewell to hubby as he left for work … and there on the front porch railing was this little bug. I was taken aback! That looks just like a firefly! But we don’t have any fireflies here in the PNW.
So I pulled out my Seek Nature app to find out what type of bug this was …
Lo and behold … it was a firefly!!
I was absolutely shocked!!
It’s a western firefly! I had no idea we had fireflies in the PNW!!
I love fireflies! As a young girl I would spend the warm summer evenings running around barefoot in my backyard chasing and catching fireflies … then putting them in little jars to light up my bedroom at night as I went to sleep. In all the years I have lived in the PNW I have never see a firefly. What an incredibly cool early morning surprise blessing … from my loving God just for me!
Thank you God for your blessing to me!
After watching the little firefly for a few minutes, I raised my gaze to look out across the front … and I got another surprise. The delphiniums are blooming! I had walked right past this front flower bed yesterday evening and hadn’t even noticed.
What a wonderful early morning surprise blessing! Aren’t they beautiful!
Thank you God for your blessing to me!
Growing in the same flowerbed as the delphiniums are these little purple flowers up on tall stems. I did know that these are just starting to bloom. I had tried to take a photo of them last night, but they close up their blooms each evening when the sun goes down. Aren’t they stunning!
I couldn’t remember the name of them. So I pulled out my Seek Nature app once again …
Whoa … “Ithuriel’s Spear” … what a totally cool name!
And check it out … it’s even a native plant. I didn’t realize that.
After reading the description I now remember that “Grassnut” was the name on the package of bulbs hubby and I purchased from the garden nursery. But “Ithuriel’s Spear” is a much more impressive-sounding name!
It’s a unique plant in that there aren’t really any leaves on the stems. The flowers just grow in bunches at the top of tall stems. My wildflower book says that this type of plant grows in open woods, meadows, and grassy areas. I can totally see how this would be a perfect grassy-meadow plant.
Here’s one more close-up of its beautiful blooms! What a wonderful early morning surprise blessing! Thank you God for your blessings to me!
And last but not least … a glimpse of blue sky! … and just a tiny bit of sunshine!
It never ceases to amaze me how it is possible to get a glimpse of sunshine very early in the mornings … then the clouds move in soon thereafter, and it is grey & cloudy the entire rest of the day. This happens surprisingly often! I’m an “early morning person” so I often find myself delighting in the early-morning sun-glimpses … which are quickly covered over by clouds.
This very thing happened just this morning. It is currently raining right now … and the weather forecast calls for clouds & rain for the next week straight. But … God gave me the blessing of a glimpse of blue sky this morning! And just a tiny bit of sunshine!
Thank you God for your early morning surprise blessings!
