still pink

While most coneflowers in local gardens are wearing faded petals, I found one this afternoon that is still wearing pink.

Do you think it held onto the pink because it wanted to pose for a photo?

a spider web

As I walked in a garden yesterday morning I saw a large spider web. Early morning dew highlighted its structure. I saw no sign of the spider creator.

What an intricate creation!

early morning

When my eyes opened early this morning it felt like a good time for a garden visit.

I enjoyed a solo walk through rows of dahlias.

back to the beach

The beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge closes on April 1st each year for the piping plover nesting season, remaining closed until the birds are done with it. Both endangered piping plovers and least terns nest on this very narrow beach. The birds deal with encroaching tides and wildlife; they don't need the feet of humans targeting them as well.

On August 18th a small section of beach reopened to people. The sections of beach from parking lot 2 to the north and from parking lot 7 to the south is now open. While that is a relatively small section of beach it was enough to pull me to the coast for a walk yesterday. I arrived about an hour before low tide, a good target time for walking.

The beach is highly sloped from parking lot 1, with the slope easing as I walked to the south. I walked on both sections of open beach, a wonderful return to a favorite spot for walking.

Thank you birds!

exquisite

Dahlias take many different shapes. This flower wears exquisite beauty.

wet

This morning the sky was gray, there was fog in the air, and the forecast called for rain. I decided to walk anyway, grabbing my bright blinking lights so I would be seen and an umbrella in case the rain fell.

The rain started as sprinkles but before I finished my loop it started pouring. It was as if a faucet had been turned on. I was glad I decided to wear an older pair of running shoes; I poured water out of them when I got home!

It was a good walk even though I was very wet when I returned home.

The water in this photo is a flooded section of road at Merrimack College. It was taken hours after the rain stopped; I'm sure it was bigger and deeper earlier in the day.

dahlia in white

A cool temperature and cloudy skies tempted me to visit the gardens of Portsmouth this afternoon. Many flowers were past peak bloom but many remained in their prime.

This beautiful dahlia is a target of bees and bugs.

summer flowers

As we move through the last month of meterological summer, gardens continue to showcase flowers.

gloriosa daisy

When I went searching for a name for this flower it matched as a blackeyed Susan. I've always seen that flower with clear yellow petals; apparently there are variations with the dark color of the flower's center extending into the yellow.

It is also known as a gloriosa daisy and wears the formal name of Rudbeckia hirta.

Sunshine brightens the petals of this beautiful flower.

pink

Coneflowers continue to wear pink even as the flowers' petals begin to show jagged (nibbled) edges.

photos! two gardens

Wanders in two gardens last weekend made me feel like fall is approaching. The flowers were beautiful but nibbled by bugs and starting to fade.

The flowers live in Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve and Chanticleer Garden.

Click to see more photos in the gallery two gardens :: 2023.