There were all kinds of celebrations happening in my yard on Independence Day.

The day started out with the blazing, hot sun bringing with it a slew of activity:

Butterflies were stocking up on energy for the party later on,……

Spiders were positioning themselves for optimum location. This little Lynx spider was greedily taking over the entire Zinnia just waiting for snacks to land in it’s lap.

Spectators for the nights festivities were not limited to insects:

Leopard frogs too were getting ready for the exciting events, crowding in on comfy lily pads…

Some were a little more shy than others, preferring to view the fun from a more secluded spot.

And some even resorted to a failed attempt at camouflage!

Some seemed to be so rushed to get to where ever they were going:

While others took a more relaxed road to the local drinking hole:

But once the fireworks began everything else was forgotten and all were transfixed! They started off with deep, rich displays of color over the pond…. with pretty pinks and yellows …

More vibrant explosions of color followed, accompanied by many ‘oooohs’ and ‘aaahs’.

The traditional red burst of color were my personal favorites, of which thankfully there were many!

While other colors were very different indeed, but just as lovely all the same.

We all partied hard that day, which led to the inevitable consequences the very next morning. Some of us weren’t feeling too great, choosing to stay hydrated and sedentary for most of the day – in recovery mode as it were:While others simply felt like their world had turned upside down. Others went all out and literally lost their skin! Holy cow! Yes that is a 4 and half foot long snake skin:

And some felt like they literally hit the wall – or screen door in this case:

But thankfully most of us recovered and it was business as usual the following Monday. Sigh….I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th! And thank you to all who have served this country to make this day possible.