Nature at Yogaville

Swallowtail on Azalea

Swallowtail on azalea bush, Yogaville, Virginia, April 2013

In April, when I was in Virginia, we drove south out of Charlottesville to Buckingham.  Along the way, the woods were dappled with pink/lavender redbud trees and the occasional white dogwood.  We spent two days in Buckingham at Yogaville with friends.  Yogaville is a spiritual centre devoted to the teachings of Swami Satchidananda. 

Swallowtail on Azalea

Swallowtail on azalea bush near Nataraja shrine, Yogaville, April 2013

Yogaville View

View of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the Nataraja Shrine at Yogaville, April 2013

The grounds of Yogaville are very beautiful.  One day we climbed to the Nataraja Shrine atop a hill.  There we saw the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance and looked out over LOTUS, the shrine to all faiths.  On the hilltop we saw vibrantly pink azaleas with many swallowtail butterflies alighting on the flowers.

LOTUS

Light of Truth Universal Shrine, Yogaville, April 2013

At another time, surrounded by the sounds of abundant bird song, I saw the first red bellied woodpeckers I’d ever seen.  They came to our friends’ bird feeders outside their woodland house. Many goldfinches also came to feed as did downy woodpeckers, titmice, ruby throated hummingbirds and, of course, squirrels.  These were some of the plumpest I’ve seen—healthier looking than their urban cousins in Toronto.  

Woodpecker

Red Bellied Woodpecker at feeder, Yogaville in Buckingham Virginia, August 2013