Butterflies in the Rose Garden

The Texas Rose Festival begins this week here in Tyler, Texas.  It is a large community event which includes the Coronation of the Rose Queen, the Rose Ball, the Queen’s Tea, the Rose Parade and tours of the city Rose Garden.  It’s festive and full of pageantry and beauty.

I took a houseguest out to the Rose Garden on Sunday afternoon and took these pictures.  October is the end of the growing season, so the rose blooms aren’t as numerous as they are in the spring. However, the garden consists of fourteen acres and 35,000 rose bushes.  There are over 500 varieties of roses planted there and each grouping is labeled with a small sign. So there were still roses to be seen.

Besides the roses, there are other plantings, including a butterfly garden.  That’s where I had the most fun.

This afternoon as I was getting ready to post these butterfly images, I heard about the death of a dear friend.  Since ancient times, the butterfly has been a symbol of the human soul.  What a fitting tribute for Dick.  The flittering of butterflies symbolizing his beautiful soul emerging from his tired body to new found beauty and freedom.

RIP Dick. You will be missed.