The heat continues to have us firmly in its grip, and while I should be whining, I realize that the heat wave will only be with us another day, so I'm taking advantage of the warmth and documenting the riot of plants and animals that sudden high temperatures have brought to life. Among the newly living is the amazing blooms of a wild azalea called the Pinxterflower. Rhododendron periclymenoides has long, showy—OK, drop-dead gorgeous—pink, tube-like blossoms that are sticky and magnets for all many of pollinators, from bees, to butterflies, to hummingbirds. After a week locked in the chilly weather bud stage, the local Pinxters finally opened in a rush, and not long after this happened, the local Tiger Swallowtails, which had remained high in the trees and stubbornly out of camera range, descended to take advantage of the nectar offerings. I happily took advantage of two photo ops: the stunning flowers and their equally glorious pollinator. Twin gifts... well, actually a trio, since I happened to be outside with the Sigma supertelephoto on the camera when the swallowtail paid a visit and my hands happened to be rock steady throughout the show.