mirrored

Almost still water creates a mirrored surface, reflecting trees and clouds.

transition

Temperatures matching the season and a bit of rain seem to be convincing the leaves that it is time to start showing autumn splendor. While most of the trees continue to wear green, some are transitioning to shades of red and orange.

dahlia delight

As the days and nights grow cooler, dahlias are still splashing bright color across the garden.

lines

Water running to the ocean cuts grooves in the sand, parallel (wavy) lines.

Low tide is a wonderful time to walk on the beach, isn't it?

wet

It's wet and chilly today. Rain is falling, alternating bands of heavy and light rainfall and making it a good day to stay inside. In spite of the wet I headed to the Stevens-Coolidge Place in mid-afternoon to walk in the garden and to absorb and enjoy the remaining floral color.

late afternoon

What a perfect time for a walk on the beach!

I headed into the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge late yesterday afternoon after closing up the visitor center (at the end of my volunteer shift). The sky was covered with clouds as I looked to the south but patches of bright blue provided decoration to the north. I shared the beach with the birds - sea gulls and sanderlings - and a few other people.

Walking along the beach at low tide and listening to the sound of the waves feeds a strong sense of peace.

wilting

On this first full day of autumn I look to the garden for signs of the changing season. While some flowers are still in full bloom, some are completely devoid of color and others are wilting.

All stages of floral life bring a sense of beauty.

outdoor sculpture

The annual Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay is held at Maudslay State Park in September. Today felt like a good day to wander and discover art in the park.

As is normal for me, I found a few favorites.

I loved part of the sculpture titled "The More the Merrier", a dog pouncing down a tree branch with a bird sitting on its back. The creators of these wonderful creatures are Melissa Montello and Our Neck of the Woods 4-H members.

Wire sculptures were a challenge to capture with my camera. These birds are part of the sculpture titled "Bird of a Feather", created by Jane Wang.

More photos from today's wander can be seen in the gallery wandering Maudslay :: 2018 starting with this photo and ending here. A few photos of natural items jumped in with the sculptures.

bee action

While many flowers have faded as the autumn equinox approaches, some still provide a feeding ground for bees.

silky water

I walked a loop in Harold Parker State Forest this afternoon looking for early signs of autumn. While some leaves wore a bit of red, the color of the forest remains predominantly green.

A sky painted with clouds creates a backdrop for trees reflecting in silky waters.

pretty in pink

The rain has moved on leaving cooler temperatures in a taste of fall.

Amazingly there are still flowers in the garden. This anemone wears shades of pink, a wonderful late season bloom.

photos! Chanticleer & Jenkins Arboretum

Photos from last week's visits to Chanticleer and Jenkins Arboretum are available for viewing in the gallery two gardens :: 2018. Recent photos start with this photo and end here.

Both flowers and vegetables jumped in front of my eyes, with occasional visits by butterflies and bees.

autumn crocus

I associate crocus with the spring with flowers sometimes emerging from the snow. There's another flower with a similar look wearing the name "autumn crocus" that blooms in the fall. The flowers seem a bit larger, splashing color through the still green grass.

Wikipedia: Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron or naked ladies, is an autumn-blooming flowering plant that resembles the true crocuses, but is a member of the Colchicaceae plant family, unlike the true crocuses which belong to the Iridaceae family. The name "naked ladies" comes from the fact that the flowers emerge from the ground long after the leaves have died back.

wearing autumn colors

These late summer flowers are wearing autumn colors, almost a hint of the season to come.

resting

Butterflies continue to be active in the garden, sometimes flitting between flowers, sometimes resting. A monarch resting on a Mexican sunflower creates a pop of bright orange.

decoration

Some would see the marks on the skin of this tomato as blemishes. I prefer to think of them as an artistic effort, a sort of painting.

obedient

As I walked through Jenkins Arboretum this morning I saw a sign sitting in the middle of some flowers wearing pink petals stating that the name they wear is "obedient plant". Apparently the reasoning behind the name is because a flower pushed to one side will often stay in that position. Most of them were standing tall but I did see a few with stems bent parallel to the ground with a reach for the sky occurring near the end of the stem.

watching

As I approached the walkway along the water, this sea gull stood on a railing, watching.

painted walls

I headed to Salem this morning to look for new painted walls. I saw two new murals in progress, a handful created for the "Mural Slam" in artist's row back in June, and a magnificent new mural created by Chor Boogie.

The new Chor Boogie creation was the first thing that reached out and grabbed me when I started walking, and I needed to return again before heading home. I think I could stand still, absorbing this beauty of a mural for hours, looking at the eyes and the masses of bubbles. It's simply amazing!

chilly

It felt like fall today with temperatures hovering in the low 70s. The day was perfect for walking, for encouraging the breeze to flow into the house through open windows.

I look forward to more days like this one!

a dahlia, still in prime bloom

shapes

Interesting shapes decorate the garden as flowers transform from petals to seed pods.

morning and evening

I was in the gardens of the Stevens-Coolidge Place this morning, volunteering, restoring flower beds to show condition. This evening I headed back to wander through the flowers, to capture a few with my camera.

Tiny asters wearing bright colors jumped into my vision.

delicate

Gardens continue to be decorated by tiny delicate petals.

bent

Early morning is always a good time for a walk in the garden. Today I shared the space with birds as I walked, absorbing color and shapes.

I loved seeing the stem of a zinnia bent but not broken. The curved shape continues to serve as a support for a beautiful flower.

looking inland

As I look to the west I can see grasses starting to wear a hint of brown. It's a hint of the changing season, a beauty of a morning in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.