fading

The petals of zinnias are fading, a sign of the cooling temperatures.

painted red

Some of the maple trees are wearing leaves that have been painted bright red.

subtle

The leaves of this tree show subtle autumn changes.

late dahlia

Dahlias remain in bloom, even as cooling temperatures signal autumn.

a pop of orange

While most of the landscape continues to wear muted shades of green, an occasional tree is decorated with a pop of bright orange.

crocus

Today I saw crocus in bloom on a hill in Maudslay State Park.

I expect to see this delicate flower in the spring; it's a treat to see it in the autumn too.

wrapped

A branch wrapped in brightly colored yarn places unusual color in a tree.

This sculpture is part of the current outdoor sculpture at Maudslay show.

Art & Nature Intersect by ABLE HeART Studio

monarch feeding

Needing a flower fix yesterday I headed to the gardens of Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH. The garden was still alive with color; I wonder how much longer the flowers will last.

I was delighted to see a single monarch butterfly feeding on a zinnia.

crazy windy

There was a chill in the air today, enhanced by the wind blowing strongly from the north.

I walked at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge this afternoon as low tide approached. I walked south to start, then returned into the wind. The sand was in a constant state of motion.

Can you see the wind?

red on green

Maple leaves wearing bright red stand out against a predominantly green background.

intersecting

Netting in bright colors decorates a tree at Maudslay State Park, part of the annual outdoor sculpture exhibit.

Intersecting Colors, by Muriel Angelil

dahlia delight

While dahlias say summer to me, the colors of this beautiful flower feel like they are edging into autumn.

I continue to be amazed at the different varieties of dahlias.

outdoor sculpture at Maudslay

This year's outdoor sculpture at Maudslay exhibit opened Sunday. I visited on Monday with my camera and returned today with a friend to wander through the sculpture.

I'm not surprised that just a few pieces jumped out at me as favorites.

This one, titled "Anxiety vs." and created by Jane Wang, consists of felted shapes in many colors. Some hang from a line while others are wrapped around a tree. I love the bright color and the movement of the piece.

Click to view more sculptures in the gallery outdoor sculpture at Maudslay :: 2022.

If you're interested in seeing the art in person, the show is at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, MA. It runs through October 2nd.

yellow

Celosia plumosa in yellow creates a bright spot in the garden.

bright

As we enter autumn most of the trees are still wearing green.

While many are showing a tinge of brown the occastional maple tree is showing leaves in bright colors.

market mural

As I drove to Maudslay State Park I passed a market in West Newbury that showed newly painted murals. Images of farm animal replaced pale gray walls.

Don't you love this rooster glaring out from the wall?

strawflower in pink

I'm always amazed when I see strawflowers growing in a garden. The look of the flowers give the impression that a person took the time to pick and dry the flowers before placing them in a garden bed.

early color

While most of the leaves are still wearing green I am starting to see both bright color and a bit of brown.

Leaves in Maudslay State Park welcome the coming season with early color.

monarchs & zinnias

As I wandered through the gardens at Prescott Park last Thursday I found monarch butterflies happily feeding on the zinnias.

half and half

The skies cleared inland as interesting clouds remained over the ocean.

This photo is from my walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday morning.

morning magic

A tiny bit of rain overnight left clouds in the sky early this morning. That, combined with a low tide at 8:38 AM, convinced me to head to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a walk.

While my preferred walking time is 1 to 2 hours before low tide, arriving just as the tide changed worked too. It was a good morning for a walk by the sea. The clouds and light were pure magic.

faded

The petals of a rudbeckia hirta have faded, signaling a soon-to-come change of season.

high on a wall

On Thursday I headed to Salem for to walk by and enjoy the murals. I found new murals that were created for the annual Mural Slam not too far from Old Town Hall in addition to the murals that live in The Point neighborhood.

This one is a favorite that lives high on a wall in The Point, part of the Punto Urban Art Museum.

Katherine, by Paola Delfin

early apples

It was a good farm stand visit this afternoon. They had a favorite early season (local!) apple, Zestar!. While I am not really ready for the season to change I am always happy to find good apples.

Zestar! is a early season apple that comes from the University of Minnesota breeding program (trademarked, USPP#11367). It is a good solid early apple, with a sweet-tart taste and a hint of brown sugar flavoring.

...It is one of the parents of the new popular US variety, Sweetango.

Information courtesy of https://www.orangepippin.com/varieties/apples/zestar

happy bees

Bees are happily feeding on a dahlia in the gardens of Prescott Park.

coastal New Hampshire

The forecast yesterday was for a foggy morning followed by rain later in the day. I headed to the New Hampshire coast early, focusing on a bit of a coastal wander before a Portsmouth garden visit.

While clouds were the predominant sky feature I did see a bit of blue as I looked to the south.

in the woods

On Thursday I visited the sculptures scattered through the woods at Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH.

What an interesting place to wander!

More photos from Tursday's walk can be seen in the gallery Andres Institute of Art :: 2022.

dahlia, again

It's dahlia season!

I've been so lucky this season to see many colors and varieties of this intricate flower this summer. Here's another one from the gardens of Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH.

looking to the east

Rain was predicted for yesterday. In spite of the forecast I headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a morning walk.

Water did not fall from the sky; it was a dry - and beautiful - walk.

underground

I headed in to Boston Sunday morning to visit the murals "Underground at Ink Block".

This urban park is an interesting use of the space under the highway.

More photos can be seen in the gallery underground at Ink Block :: 2022.

petals curve

The petals of a dahlia curve around its center.

strawflower stages

A section of the community garden at Strawberry Banke contains strawflowers in various stages of bloom.

I feel lucky to have been able to capture strawflowers just opening, fully open, and releasing their seeds.

open

A sign outside of a store on a street in Portsmouth, NH welcomes visitors.

wearing pink

A dahlia wearing shades of pink brings a bright pop of color to the garden.

I'm always amazed at the beauty of these flowers.

a tiger swallowtail

As I was walking early this morning I saw sunflowers in a garden. When I headed back with my camera a bit later I was greeted by a tiger swallowtail butterfly feeding on a butterfly bush near the sunflowers.

I was delighted that the butterfly agreed to pose for me!

back to the beach

Today I walked on the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for the first time since April 1st.

The beach in the refuge closes on April 1st each year for the piping plove nesting season, reopening when the birds are done with it. This past weekend the very tips of the beach reopened for people to visit. Even with the continued very hot weather I knew I needed a beach walk. I arrived 2 hours after high tide, sharing the open section of beach with other people and with ever-present sea birds.

coneflowers

Coneflowers bring a splash of color to the garden.

The flowers provide a gathering place for happy bees.

in the woods

This afternoon I attempted to ignore the heat as I walked in the woods at Harold Parker State Forest.

It was a short walk, so hot!

notice

This notice outside of a store in Portsmouth, NH is perfect!

I didn't go inside to verify that a dog was present, next time...

dahlia delight

While Fuller Gardens (in North Hampton, NH) is primarily a rose garden it has a wonderful bed of dahlias that is currently in full bloom.

I visited on Monday to spend some time with the dahlias.

canna

When I first saw this flower I didn't know its name.

This is a canna, also known as a canna lily even though it is not in the lily family. The flower is large and resembles an iris. It's beautiful!

coastal

A walk along the coast in Odiorne Point State Park today was sandwiched between visits to two gardens.

It was a good day for a coastal wander.

curved

The curved center of a coneflower caught my eye as I wandered in the gardens of Prescott Park.

lock on a fence

There is a section of fence in Prescott Park (Portsmouth, NH) that is loaded with love locks. When I am there I usually walk by to check for interesting additions. Yesterday I saw a simple heart-shaped lock that was iridescent. When I moved a bit to change the angle of the light it showed as a wonderful shade of blue.

pink

A zinnia in bright pink decorates the garden.

photos! sculpture & flowers

Last week's visit with my sister included visits to Winterthur, Grounds for Sculpture, and Chanticleer Gardens. All three places were wonderful places to wander and absorb beautiful things.

More photos can be seen in the gallery 3 places :: sculpture & flowers.

happy bees

As I wandered at Chanticleer Gardens I shared the beautiful flowers with happy bees.

This coneflower was the target of two bees, one perched on the flower and the second zooming in.