mixed

Trees continue to show mixed colors as autumn brings us cooler weather.

The edge of Field Pond in Harold Parker State Forest is a good place to absorb the seasonal color change.

sculpture at Pingree School

Yesterday was the first time I visited the Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School. The show is now on my list of things to do for next year!

It was a good wander through the school grounds looking for sculptures. My two favorites were both on the funky side, wire birds perched in a tree, and clear tubes filled with colored liquid that bubbled as the tube was flipped.

Click here to see more photos in the gallery sculpture at Pingree :: 2024.

flitting

As I walked in the gardens of Prescott Park this morning I saw a single butterfly flitting about, feeding on late season flowers.

delightful!

The section of the garden at the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens that is dedicated to dahlias continues to show flowers in prime condition. It was delightful to spend a bit of time there this evening, absorbing the beauty around me.

wet

On the beach, in wind and rain...

It's good that I woke up early today. A beach walk was calling to me and low tide on Plum Island was at 8:27am. Walking just before and after low tide was perfect!

In spite of the cool air and light rain, it was a good morning to walk in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

bright

The leaves of a Japanese maple are wearing bright red, popping against a background of trees that continue to wear green.

changes

While trees are relatively early in the color change cycle, reds and yellows are starting to appear.

outdoor sculpture at Maudslay

I visited the outdoor sculpture at Maudslay exhibit on Monday, wandering and looking.

This year's theme is "Threads".

To see more of the sculptures click here to visit the photo gallery outdoor sculpture at Maudslay :: 2024.

dahlias!

A large section of the garden at the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens is filled with dahlias that bloom in late summer / early fall. I chose the last hour of sunlight on Saturday to wander through the flowers.

The dahlias were delightful, a wonderful mix of colors and shapes.

Click here to wander through the dahlias in the gallery dahlia delight :: 2024.

a magic morning

Halibut Point State Park was my destination this morning. It's a place I always enjoy but one that seems to take longer to get to based on the mileage.

I'm so glad I visited the amazing beauty there today. I shared space with sea gulls and a few other people.

Click here to wander through more photos from Halibut Point. The first 28 photos in the gallery are from today's visit; the rest are from a visit in April.

early color

Meterological fall started four days ago.

The season change has apparently been communicated to the trees in the area. While most of the leaves are still green, a tinge of brown is starting to appear. There are even a few trees wearing colored leaves.

late season coneflowers

While it's late in the growing season many flowers continue to wear bright colors. These coneflowers show some harsh and blackened edges, a bit of decay in the petals.

perched

A butterfly is perched, feeding from a zinnia.

low tide

Yesterday's low tide walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was delightful. I was accompanied by the sound of ocean waves and the sight of sea gulls and skittering sanderlings.

evening flowers

Late day light decorated the garden as I wandered through the dahlias.

at Odiorne Point State Park

A walk along the coast was on my wishlist today.

I headed to Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH with the hope of walking before the rain came. While wet roads indicated there was rain earlier, it was a dry, low tide walk.

pink

A pink dahlia decorates a late summer garden.

look down!

At this time of year I find I need to look down as I walk through the woods. Wonderful mushrooms are on display!

open!

The piping plover nesting season has ended; the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge reopened to people today. A statement from the refuge indicated that 50 pairs of plovers nested on the beach and 44 chicks fledged.

This is the earliest open date that I can remember. As soon as I heard the beach was open I checked the tide chart, arriving at the beach at about the midpoint of the outbound tide. It would have been easier walking if I'd waited a little longer but I was impatient.

What an awesome day for a walk on the beach!

backlit

A dahlia glows with light from the setting sun.

back to the beach

Nesting piping plovers have moved on from a small portion of the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. While most of the 6-mile long beach remains closed, a half mile section of beach at the northern end of the refuge has reopened to people.

I visited today, enjoying a short beach walk.

flitting

A butterfly flits about the garden, happily settling on a lavender plant.

wearing lavender

Globe thistle wears a lovely shade of lavender as it evolves from spikey points to thin flowering petals. These flowers are a favorite of bees and other pollinators.

wet

Even though the weather forecast called for a 50% chance of rain I headed to the coast. It rained as I drove and it rained as I walked. A wind-driven light rain stayed with me the entire time.

It was good; I needed a walk by the ocean.

roses & dahlias

Yesterday afternoon I headed to the New Hampshire coast to visit Fuller Gardens.

It is primarily a rose garden, with dahlias living in a display garden next to the greenhouse. It was the dahlias that drew most of my attention.

More photos of the wonderful flowers can be seen in the gallery Fuller Gardens :: 2024.

photos! Three Sisters Sanctuary

Yesterday I headed west for a bit to visit Three Sisters Sanctuary in Goshen, MA. It was delightful to wander through the gardens, to visit sculptures, flowers, and a bit of road art.

Click here to jump to the gallery Three Sisters Sanctuary :: 2024 to see the photos that jumped into my camera as I wandered.

contemplation

A sculpture sits in the garden at Three Sisters Sanctuary, enjoying the beauty of her surroundings.

dancing

Early in the morning a black-eyed susan dances in the wind.

coneflower season

As summer bathes us in warmth, gardens beckon.

Coneflowers decorate the gardens of Prescott Park (in Portsmouth, NH) with bright splashes of color.

sunflower smiles

A sunflower stands tall, highlighted by mid-afternoon sunshine.

a dahlia in pink

Dahlias are starting to emerge in the gardens of Maudslay State Park.

This beauty opened with a splash of pink.

summer on the coast

I woke up yesterday and checked the state of the roads for holiday traffic heading to the coast. Luckily the early morning traffic was light; it looked like clear sailing!

My destination was Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH. I arrived early enough that it felt like I almost had the place to myself. My walk along the rocky coastline was awesome, a good way to spend a cloudy (then clearing) sky morning.

a strawflower

What a special flower!

While strawflowers look like they have been dried, this is their natural form. The flower emerges wearing stiff and papery petals.

butterfly in motion

Sometimes butterflies light on a flower, staying still, posing.

Sometimes butterflies are in a state of constant motion.

early sunflower

It feels early but this sunflower apparently decided it is time to bloom.

a butterfly visit

Yesterday was a butterfly day.

My sister and I headed to the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in South Deerfield, MA to spend some time with the wonderful winged creatures.

dahlia delight

The first dahlias of the season are starting to appear in local gardens.

approaching low tide

The approaching low tide convinced me it was a good time for a walk on the beach.

While the wildlife refuge beach is closed for the piping plover nesting season it is still possible to walk the beach on the north and of Plum Island. A reasonable temperature (ahead of the predicted heat wave), a constant breeze, and the outgoing tide combined to create wonderful walking conditions.

pink

Peonies in pink create a welcome splash of color.

garden rabbit

As I walked through a garden this evening I watched rabbits enjoying the grass, eating, running.

I was happy that this one posed for me; I guess I stopped walking far enough from him that he didn't feel the need to run.

curves & color

Bearded iris in the garden continue to show both curved petals and amazing color.

lifting fog

While today's predicted rain didn't appear, fog floated over the coast.

My mid-tide walk on the north end of Plum Island was enhanced by the moving fog.

pale pink

It's rhododendron season at Maudslay State Park.

I really like these flowers in pale pink.

painted

As I walked in the Strawberry Banke community garden in Portsmouth on Wednesday I saw a bearded iris that looked like a painting. Its center petals were yellow while the outreaching bottom petals wore a light violet with an edge of brown.

What a beautiful flower!

morning iris

The perennial garden at the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens is a home to bearded iris.

My first iris-seeking visit to Stevens-Coolidge this past Friday evening showed lots of buds but only a few flowers in bloom. When I headed to the garden early this morning I found many of them in full bloom.

I love this one wearing pure purple!

purple

A bearded iris shows off several shades of purple.

I've always been fascinated by the shape and color of this intricate flower.

bright

Azalea and rhododendron in Maudslay State Park have started to bloom. I headed there yesterday, walking through a symphony of colors.

tree peonies

The tree peonies at Long Hill are starting to bloom.

Friday's visit gifted me with flowers from a few plants; according to the master gardener more should follow this week. Yes, I will visit again soon!