Buttonbush Images From Oklahoma

I smiled when I saw blooming Buttonbush at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge in the early June. I haven’t seen Buttonbush blooms since I left Florida in 2009.

Blooming Buttonbush at Tishomingo NWR – Nikon D500, f9, 1/200, ISO 640, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Maybe it is a small thing, but seeing the Buttonbushes flowering was like an old friend saying hello. I hadn’t even realized I missed seeing these flowering shrubs until I saw them again.

Buttonbush and a fly at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge – Nikon D500, f9, 1/125, ISO 640, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

In Florida, I used to see Buttonbush in interior habitats such as Sawgrass Lake Park, Hillsborough River State Park, and the high spots at Weedon Island Preserve.

I might have driven past some last year when I was in Virginia, but my mind was on my mom and helping her transition from living independently to going to hospice, and eventually, when she left us. I saw nature then, but my mind was mostly occupied by some daunting personal matters.

Buttonbush in full bloom – Nikon D500, f10, 1/80, ISO 1250, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Seeing the Buttonbush in full bloom at the refuge was wonderful; taking photos of them was even better.

Birds and waterfowl eat the seeds of these native shrubs. Deer eat the foliage, while bees, hummingbirds, and other insects find nourishment in the nectar. The plant’s spherical flower clusters are known for their pleasant, sweet scent.

Buttonbush is a common shrub of many wetland habitats in its range, including swamps, floodplains, mangrove, pocosin, riparian zones, and moist forest understory.

Everything is connected in nature. These flowering shrubs are blooming evidence of that.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my wildflower, shrub and tree photos.