sunshine

Sunflowers bring sunshine to the garden.

looking for clouds

I headed to Harold Parker State Forest this afternoon looking for clouds against the sky. There were a few sitting above the trees; other than that small white edge the sky wore blue.

dahlia delight

A dahlia creates a delightful splash in pink.

what's in a name?

Some echinacea wear the shape of a cone, pointing out a reason for the common name of coneflowers. Others are flatter with petals reaching to the side rather than down.

No matter which shape they wear, the flowers show seasonal beauty.

multicolored

Some gardens are planted so colors are shown in solid blocks; in others the colors are mixed. While sometimes the precision of solid blocks creates interesting patterns I find I like multicolored beds.

This bed of dahlias caught my eye today.

a splash of yellow

A blackeyed susan (also known as rudbeckia hirta) creates a splash of color in the garden.

echinacea in pink

It's a good garden time of year. I love the layers of pink in this patch of echinacea.

a happy bee

Gardens attract living things, birds, bees, small animals, people too.

Today I shared my view of the flowers with happy bees. Even though I was close to them I wasn't concerned; the bees were more interested in the flowers than the people in their space.

hiding

A zinnia in bright pink is hiding beneath a canopy made of leaves.

before the heat

There is an excessive heat warning posted here from noon today through Sunday night.

I managed a good exercise walk this morning while the temperature was still in a reasonable range, a good start to my day. Since I didn't see myself staying indoors I looked to the coast for a cooler place to visit this afternoon. My destination was the New Hampshire coast where today's high was predicted to be in the low 80s.

I skipped the packed beaches and headed to Odiorne Point State Park for a walk along the rock strewn coastline.