In June when the peonies begin to bud the ants arrive in droves. The buds secrete a sap that attracts the ants. Once the flowers bloom the ants disappear with no harm done to the plants. I had my 105mm the day I took this photo, I had hoped for some flower shots and got a “twofer” instead!
On this cold grey day, summer seems like it’s been over for weeks not days. In looking through my catalogues I found these two photographs I took earlier in the year, when the whole summer stretched before us. We’ll still get some nice temperatures before the cold really sets in but on a day like today a little summer cheer is welcome.
Early in the summer when everything is in bloom, you tend to admire it all but don’t really focus on any one thing in particular (at least that’s the case for me). However, as summer winds down I look at flowers and grasses more closely enjoying them that much more.
Although many flowers are beginning to fade at this point in the summer, they still hold a lot of appeal. Queen Anne’s Lace reveals an intricate weave. The yellow salsify contrasts with the one beside it that’s gone to seed, Both beautiful in their own way.
Photographs taken at different times during the summer. Of the three kinds of flowers pictured, the peonies are the ones I look forward to the most. Once their buds form in May you know the summer heat is close at hand. Their form, scent and brilliance are much anticipated. The flower in the second image is beginning to fade, I’m not sure when it was in full bloom although the photo is quite recent. I took the morning glory earlier in August, it has a wonderfully long growing season. I liked the play of light on the pink of the flower.
As I mentioned in a previous post there is a feeling of change in the air, as the seasons slowly shift. I feel a pressing need to store up all the remaining sights and sounds of summer. One way of doing this is to linger a little longer in the fields of wildflowers. This touch-me-not and salsify caught my eye.
I noticed the muted background before I really saw the flower rising against it and was struck by the start of the slow change to fall. I walked a little further and saw this Maple, always the first tree at the reserve to change colour every year. We’re still under heat advisories and the days are long but the slow approach of fall has begun.
