Our butterfly bushes await the next arrival of wings.

My friend Theresa brought daughter Althea by the house yesterday afternoon while running a chore through my Eastwood neighborhood.

I brought them out back to show off our ever-growing butterfly garden.

We have four butterfly bushes.

And it is, you see, peak time for the blossoms on the bushes that serve as the centerpiece of our Syracuse city backyard triangle of nature. The two oldest, at age 5, push out deep purple and multi-hued pink clusters, respectively. The bush in the center was sent up as a sprig from my sister, Fran, on Long Island. It has survived four years now to push out its white blossoms. There’s a new, shorty butterfly bush put in to one side last spring. It, too, blooms white.

As we approached, a butterfly rose from the middle. A small one. Quick and beautiful.

Althea, Theresa and I smiled.

Great moment.

File it under: Nature enriches our city.

A new, artsy birdbath promises a drink for our butterfly visitors.