There's been a cabbage white butterfly coming by almost everyday this summer. I'm guessing it's the same one and he/she flies around the arbor vitae trees along the driveway and then crosses over and checks out the flowerbed by the back door and then heads around the other side of the building to the back parking lot. It's usually early afternoon when he/she makes an appearance and I wonder if they have a route through the neighborhood?
I've seen other butterflies this summer; both yellow and black tiger swallowtails and a yellow cabbage, plus a brown & purple-ish one on the flowers the neighbor set out in spring. That one was too small and too far away from the window for me to identify, but it was an uncommon type. In fact, I believe I've seen more butterflies this year than most other years, which is surprising, as conditions were quite dry in the middle of summer, very little rain in July and it's been hotter than usual this season, a number of days in the 90'sF/30C. Usually Cleveland only has 2 or 3 days a year with such high temperatures, but this summer it probably added up to a couple weeks.
Since I'm still learning about butterflies, I don't know if the cabbage ones migrate like Monarchs or pass away. Whichever it is, I'll miss the cheerful presence of fluttering white bobbing along the foliage as autumn takes a firmer hold.

One of the libraries I go to has a lovely reading garden, sprinkled with tables shaded by umbrellas and a short walking path surrounded by flower beds. Last week I stopped there and after getting a tasty mocha latte at their new coffee shop, went out to see what was blooming and sat for awhile at one of the tables. There was still petunias and hydrangeas flowering, along with a number of others I couldn't identify.

I think these are coneflowers, perhaps Black-eyed Susans? There's a few bushes that are just beginning to turn from their summer greenery into gold autumn colors. The garden is subtly divided into various international moods. My favorite section has an Asian influence with a curving Tori gate and birch tree. Another area has a wall fountain that reminds me of Italy. I sat near it and could actually hear the water splashing as it streamed down the triple levels. On the far side of the garden, a copper statue of a dancing boy stands in the middle of a small pond that looks as if frogs should be playing in. The plants are abundant enough to make these man-made objects blend in, creating a harmonious space. As I finished my coffee, I savored the oasis of calm and hoped I could keep the memory of it's peacefulness to help on hectic days.