The plant above is a yarrow. I have to thank Eliza for the correct ID (see comments). Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of one. That will have to wait until next year. Pretty plant though 😏
I took this photo in late June when the plant was beginning to flower. It’s native to Ontario and other parts of North America. It got its common name from its use as a herbal medecine to break fevers. I liked the way it was set off against that summer green background,
September has been a beautiful month. Summer isn’t leaving quietly.
When I took this scene in June, it seemed that summer would stretch on forever. Daisies were everywhere. Not so now; until next year then.
The flower had faded but the sun still made it glow.
The dominant garden colour now is a golden yellow, sunflowers and goldenrod taking centre stage.
The landscape is taking on a different look as August winds down.
I particularly like this colour and the flower wears it well.
I like the way the lily pad curled around the water lily.
Both knapweed and daisy fleabane are members of the aster family. I saw these flowers growing in an empty lot. They’re invasive and crowd out native plants but in their defensive, pollinators like them and they’re very attractive.
Globe thistles attract bees and other pollinators. The bee was so intent on its task that it never raised its head once for me 😏
I didn’t crop the photo because I wanted to keep all of the background. No rule of thirds here although the flower isn’t quite centred. I only noticed the aphids on the flower’s stem when I imported the photo. A lot of aphids but no ladybugs 😏
A part of town has gardens full of sunflowers. I wanted to get there before the season was over. Many had begun to fade but this flower really stood out. I have never captured the disc of a sunflower at quite this angle before, it appeared almost three dimensional.
The Japanese beetles and bees were competing for the same flowers. This beetle was having none of it and the bee beat a hasty retreat 😏
I love buttercups but they can be tricky to photograph with their glossy petals. I imagine a lot of you will remember the “chin game” we played as kids with buttercups!
I really like Queen Annes’s Lace and feature it here throughout the summer. We’re entering the final leg of summer though when goldenroad begins to appear (the yellow flower in the background).
Another coneflower, I think I might have found my new favourite, the Sombrero Adobe Orange. Until this summer I wasn’t aware of this variety 😊.
It’s the time for coneflowers now, they really do dazzle.
A little fun with spot metering.
Queen Anne’s Lace is one of my favourite wildflowers. We were walking beside a vacant lot that had hundreds of these flowers in different stages of development. Here are two examples.
The fiery orange of the day lilies mirrors the current temperatures.
On the otherhand, cosmos are the lily’s cooler cousin.
Glancing down towards the water I saw this day-lily growing in the filtered light. Not native to North America, the flower has become naturalized and its their season right now.
Daisies are such cheerful looking flowers. I caught these swaying in the breeze.
I haven’t seen many bees this summer, so I was happy to see this one visiting some colourful flowers.
Although we’re just one day into the official start of summer, the season moves along far too quickly. I think I found one of the last of the poppies putting on a nice show.
These seed heads could have easily featured in a classic science fiction movie 😊. I believe they are the seed heads of the Pasqueflower and a member of the buttercup family.
A good part of the garden was still in the shade but not this poppy that appeared to be basking in the sunshine.
Another introduced species to North America that is highly invasive. I love to see it though and enjoy its delicacy and fragrance.
Another common name for bleeding heart is lyre flower, a name I much prefer.
I took this photo about a week ago, just before the Lillies of the valley came into bloom. This one dandylion caught my eye as it stood out among the sttetch of emerging flowers.
After a long winter when we’re craving colour, nature really shines.
The lawn daisy has become naturalized here and is considerd a weed. Pretty though and pollinators like them. I think they resemble pincushions.
These wild violets are among my favourite early spring flowers. They appear unexpectedly among the dry leaves like little gems.
We’ve had a colder than normal start to spring but things are headed in the right direction.
We’ve had a couple of beautiful spring days in a row. The trees are budding, the lawns have turned emerald green and are hosting these lovely scillia everywhere you look.
I’ve been enjoying signs of spring on other people’s blogs, so I thought I’d join in and share a photo I took in late April last year. No real signs of spring yet, we just reached +2C today; sooner or later… 😏
These poppies are an introduced species in Ontario. They’re popular in gardens and can naturalize in the landscape; I saw these growing in a field.
No tulips yet but things are moving in the right direction. It reached +5C today and snow banks are beginning to melt; I even saw a jogger wearing shorts 😊
Another warm weather scene on a cold and snowy day. Not a great fan of winter anymore 😏 .
Well, it’s snowing again so here’s a summery alternative to the scene outside my window. I think this is a Long-leaved speedwell but would appreciate a positive I.D.
Just six weeks to go!
BELINDA GROVER PHOTOGRAPHY 