reflections in a pond

A late afternoon walk in Harold Parker State Forest last Friday allowed me to enjoy reflections in Field Pond.

Trees, blue sky, and white clouds painted a wonderful picture.

strawberry blonde

Found in a garden, a Strawberry Blonde sunflower...

It's amazing how many different varieties of sunflowers exist. I find I like them all!

a sunflower

Sunflowers bloom during the summer but somehow they say autumn to me.

This beauty is in a community garden in Portsmouth, NH.

solo

A solo dahlia in shades of orange caught my eye today as I wandered through the gardens of Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH.

photos! great elephant migration

I headed into Boston Monday afternoon to visit The Great Elephant Migration. I considered visiting on Saturday but quickly realized that I didn't really want to drive and that the commuter rail doesn't run as frequently as I'd like on the weekends. Monday was a good choice for me. It was a train, walk, visit the elephants, walk, train day.

The 100 life-sized elephants are made of an invasive plant called Lantana camara by artisans in Southern India. Each is inspired by a live elephant.

There were many other people there with me, all fascinated by and enjoying the sight of elephants on Commonwealth Avenue.

Click here to view photos in the gallery great elephant migration :: Boston.

The exhibit is described in the WBUR article 100 elephants arrive in Back Bay with a message of coexistence.

dike walk repeat

I took advantage of the last day the Hellcat Cross Dike is open this year, returning to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge to walk it again.

view from the observation tower at Hellcat

photos! Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

I felt a need to wander through a (different) garden so I headed to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. It's almost 3 hours from home; I opted to drive 2/3 of the way there on Monday, heading to the garden just after opening time Tuesday monring.

My senses were happy as I walked among late summer flowers and Thomas Dambo trolls.

Photos can be seen in the gallery Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens :: 2026.

Click here to jump to the gallery.

Green Twister coneflower

I saw a new-to-me coneflower today during a visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine, a Green Twister.

It's always fun to discover new varieties of flowers.

on the Hellcat Cross Dike

The Hellcat Cross Dike in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is open for walking one week a year - and that week started today.

I walked the dike this morning, enjoying the scenery under cloudy skies.

And yes, if you look closely there are tiny specks in the sky; it was full of flying tree swallows.

sneezeweed

This bright yellow wildflower is "Common Sneezeweed".

I saw it yesterday in the gardens of Long Hill in Beverly, MA. It has heavy pollen and relies on insects for pollination, no sneezing!