Sweet William after rain

The rain eased up late in the afternoon, too late for a long walk, but with a little bit of sun shining through the clouds, I did take a swing around the yard to see what might be going on. The precipitation—nearly an inch-and-a-half since Sunday evening—perked up the plants, especially the Sweet William, whose flower clusters are now perfuming the ridge. I always pay close attention to these blossoms, which are magnets for butterflies, the Spicebush Swallowtails in particular, as well as for a wide variety of day-flying moths, such as the Nessus Sphinx, the lepidopteran equivalent of hummingbirds. Last year, we were blessed with an abundance of both species, as well as with an abundance of blooms. This year, alas, the Sweet William flowers are much more meager. Perhaps that's why the swallowtails are rare so far—I've seen three—and the Nessus sphinxes have yet to show themselves. I hope they're just tardy.