Across the sandhills of the Florida peninsula, in sandy fields and roadside swales,
Florida phlox (Phlox floridana) is in full bloom.
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This native plant is lovely from a distance but it is really spectacular close-up, full of butterflies and other insects feasting on the bounty.
Getting close to the phlox requires stopping one's car and getting out. Getting a good photo means getting down on the ground. Most of the phlox plants are less than 12-inches tall.
I like how there are a few pure white phlox mixed in with the dominant
purples and lavenders.
Mixed in with the phlox is a lot of India Mustard (yellow-flowering) also known as Leaf Mustard (Brassica juncea). The mustard is attracting the Checkered White Butterfly (Pontia protodice) commonly known as the Southern Cabbageworm Butterfly. In the image above I caught the flutter of one of these currently abundant butterflies.
The hosts of Checkered White larvae are herbs in the Mustard family (Brassicaceae). The preferred host in the South is the Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum).
Below: A close up of a Checkered White drinking from some mustard blooms.
Below: There were a lot of wild beans in this swale but the Checkered White
was much more interested in the Mustard. Click on the image below for a large view. You'll see many ripe string beans on the left side of the image.
Below: An extreme close up of a Checkered White on a mustard bloom.
These white butterflies with black spots were very abundant in all the fields of
phlox and mustard that I visited on a recent afternoon.
Met Gala 2023
Who stole the show?
Hint, it wasn't the female guests. . .
Pedro Pascal
2023's Met Gala red carpet had it all: giant furry cat suits, headpieces several feet tall, an abundance of tweed, and, of course, Pedro Pascal's bare legs. (I mean, what party is complete without those slutty little knees?)
For the "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty" theme, Pedro Pascal took to the red carpet in a black-and-red Valentino look: a vibrant, oversized red coat with a matching red poplin shirt, a black tie with a gold metal V, and very short black shorts. And, of course, a few key details—the Valentino V logo painted on his nails, a thin gold ring secured on his bottom lip, and a few chunky gold rings on his fingers. Hair elegantly slicked back. Knee popping out at every opportunity. Yeah, he really is the Internet's daddy.
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As expected (and as usual, whenever Pedro Pascal does just about anything), fans went wild for the actor's look—if the bold crimson wasn't daringly hot enough, the short shorts sealed the deal.
Buzz-worthiness aside, though, Pascal still stayed perfectly on-theme for the Karl Lagerfeld theme; the tailored shirt, elegant coat, and pristine tie evoke the late Karl from a mile away, and the monochrome vibes accented with a simple black are nothing if not reminiscent of his own designs.
If the night taught us anything, it's this: Whether he's in a rugged dystopian jacket or a sci-fi, space-age suit or a red designer look showing off those damn legs, Pedro Pascal looks good—nay, great—in just about anything.
Jared Leto, Lil Nas X and Manu Ríos
earn honorable mentions
Manu Ríos leaves us nearly speechless while hitting the carpet at the 2023 Met Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday evening (May 1) in New York City.
The 24-year-old Elite actor wore an all black look and showed off his beautiful smile as he arrived for the fashion event. And honestly, it wouldn't matter much what Manu was wearing he is built for fashion so everything looks good on him.
The Spanish actor was one of seven who wore looks at the Met Gala from Karl‘s namesake brand.
This year’s theme of the Met Gala is “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” and the event will honor the late fashion designer. The dress code for the gala is “in honor of Karl,” who has worked at such fashion houses as Balmain, Chloé, Fendi, and Chanel.
Manu has now attended the annual event twice, after making a huge impression with his debut in 2022 (below). For the 2022 event Ríos wore a custom all-black, sheer Moschino suit with a deep V-neck, slightly altered from a model that appeared on the runway of the Fall 2022. While we love Manu as Patrick on Elite, he also does this extremely well.
Leading up to the 2023 Met Gala, rumors swirled that the late designer Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette, just might strut down the red carpet as a tribute to his owner. It seemed teed up as the ideal 21st-century Met Gala moment: absurdist luxury fed to the frenzy of pop culture consumption in the Instagram era. And while this moment didn’t come to pass as guessed, actor Jared Leto ensured the Birman cat was not erased from the evening altogether. He walked the red carpet—literally in Choupette’s shoes, in something terrifyingly akin to Choupette’s own fur, scaled to human size and with a removable head (and, presumably, zipper) for easy bathroom trips.
In Leto’s defense, the costume does fit squarely within the dress code for the evening: simply “in honor of Karl.” What better way to honor the designer known for such elegant designs at Chanel, Fendi, and Balmain (among others) than with an enormous mascot, the likes of which could drive Gritty out of the internet virality business?
Lagerfeld might have loved it; he did, after all, love his cat. The animal famously flew in a private plane, was brushed twice a day every day, and dined from Goyard dishes: “One for water, one for her little croquette, and one for her pâté,” per Lagerfeld himself.
And finally, what can we say about Lil Nas X's Swarovski Crystal and body paint outfit? We think Lagerfeld would have liked it and maybe it was a little wink-wink-fuck-you to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and those like him that want to silence the beauty and creativity of the LGBTQ+ community.
Lil Nas X
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