A bench with a view

Sometimes I like to sit and take in the view 

when we’re walking along the boardwalk. Occasionally my husband sits with me, other times he continues on his way and stops with me on his way back. This particular bench has a beautiful ocean view and this time of year, the patch of wildflowers provides a lacy edge along the shoreline.  

The dominant bloom now along paths, trails and roadways is Queen Anne’s Lace. 

The Queen rules her domain by sheer numbers but the individual flowers are quite pretty, and a close look reveals a tiny purple flower in the centre of some. 

Blooms are tall enough to move with the wind making them a swaying sea of white to complement the blue beyond.

They dance to the beat on the breeze which only they can sense. The Queens can be mesmerizing to watch most island days when the breeze is a welcome relief from the heat, or for them, a welcome break from the routine of showing their faces to the sun.

The lacy ones welcome all who settle and grow around them, from the newly arrived Joe Pye Weed

to the ubiquitous yellow blooms of the week. 

Clover adds a bit of interest here and there. Chicory is new this year and goldenrod is just starting its tenure for this season. 

Looking through the cluster, you can’t help but notice the green glow, 

provided by leaves and stems, which is often overlooked when the showy blooms abound.

Put those blooms against a blue backdrop of sea and/or sky and you have perfection.

On the Trail again

It is almost a month since my husband and I rode our bikes. I had hit my hip on one of the gates on the Confederation Trail and finally, on Saturday, my hip felt better. It was a slow recovery but all fells well again.

Autumn is underway along the trail though it hasn’t arrived with any certainty in our neighbourhood yet. Maple trees along the trail are in their red autumn glory and caused us to stop numerous times along the way. 

The dark green of pre-autumn colour lines the trail where other trees dominate.

The Mountain Ash trees are loaded with berries this year, probably the most we’ve ever seen. The orange berries hang from the trees tempting one to pick a few though they don’t have much taste.

Some time ago, Judee at https://www.realfoodblogger.com mentioned Mountain Ash was also known as Rowan and has folklore associated with the trees which goes back centuries. 

I had only known Mountain Ash/Rowan as Dogberry trees. The only folklore I knew was the Newfoundland weather lore which maintains that a year with a lot of orange dogberries on the trees meant a bad winter was in store. By the look of the trees this year, there will be a terrible winter.

Further along the trail, the horses were out in the barnyard again and were too busy eating to pose for photos.

The last of the wildflowers fill the hedgerows. Asters and Goldenrod take up much of the area. 

However, the bright greens of summer are rusty now as darkness encroaches upon the daylight of summer.

It is difficult to describe one of the experiences we had during that recent ride. We were on the home stretch and noticed dark coloured birds ahead on the trail. I thought they were European Starlings which usually travel in a flock. We approached the birds but they stayed as they were which was strange indeed. My husband rang the bell on his bike and the trees around us came alive with birds, which flew over the trail, then ahead of us along the trail, as we followed them and those which had been on the ground. After thirty seconds or so, the huge flock disappeared into the trees again.

On closer examination of the photos, we discovered they were Common Grackles. I couldn’t take a photo quickly enough but it was a phenomenal experience to have the large flock flying ahead of us as we rode along. Later, we realized our daughter was the runner visible in the distance in this photo.

It is good to be back on our bikes again on the Confederation Trail with its wonderful surprises.

  

Wildflowers 2

The parade of wildflowers continues as the summer rolls along to its inevitable conclusion. There has been and continues to be a kaleidoscope of colour and variety along the trails, roads and highways. Starting with dandelions of spring, we have progressed to Queen Anne’s Lace, Goldenrod and numerous others, filling every gap and crevice, road banks and shorelines. 

I enjoy especially the scenes along the shoreline where the view to sea is through the natural blooms.

Joe Pye Weed is a new one this month and it takes a stand along a section of shoreline where Queen Anne has yet to spread her lace. 

A trail to a bench by the harbour is lined with that lace and the Front Range Light is a familiar backdrop. 

A spell on the bench and a view to the Indian Head Lighthouse in the distance is filtered through wildflowers.

During a recent visit to Bonshaw Park, we had a picnic and walked some trails. After lunch, on the way to the West River I passed wildflowers on the highway embankment. Queen Anne’s Lace and Goldenrod make a breathtaking wall of natural blooms. 

Humans cannot compete with this gardener. 

 

Golden sunshine

Each bloom is perfect,

Tiny rays reaching from a golden centre.

A bouquet on a stem named goldenrod,

The late summer wildflower which brightens our day.

Despite the weather, the yellow glory remains,

Dispelling the foggy gloom. 

It lifts the spirits of those who pass

Through the gallery.

The sunny blooms shine their best

Along the woodland paths or shoreline.

Bees come to visit, sweet nectar will become honey

And pollen spreads from bloom to bloom. 

Goldenrod will shine again next year.

 

The wind through the wildflowers

The weather this summer has been peculiar. We have had hot days with high humidity, but we’ve also had high winds, making the temperatures bearable. These days are sandwiched between days with the temperatures below normal and the breeze cooling it enough to require long sleeves. The wind is a constant this summer.

One windy morning, we headed to the boardwalk early because of the forecasted humidity later in the day. The southerly wind caused white caps in the harbour. That sea was rough.

Also noticeable was the height of some of the wildflowers blowing in the wind. I am 165 centimetres tall or 5 feet 5 inches and many plants were at eye level. 

The roses are almost two meters high 

and I’ve never seen vetch grow this tall.

Queen Anne’s Lace danced in the breeze. Its younger blooms have yet to achieve the height of those nodding above them.

In early June, my husband and I saw a young child and an older couple, possibly her grandparents, place a small painted birdhouse on the remains of a young tree by the waterside. At that time, the three could easily reach the stick to place the birdhouse. The grass was no more than ankle high. Such is not the case today. The grasses tower over me, bending in the breeze. 

Goldenrod is beginning to bloom and has achieved an impressive height as it joins the other tall plants along the boardwalk.

We are in awe of nature!

Wild things

They stand up to the wind with a strength which is admirable because this time of year only skeletons remain. These remnants of wildflowers which grace the boardwalk in warmer weather, stand tall as the snow accumulates around them.

Buried beneath the fluffy blanket, the seeds for another bloom wait for the earth to warm after the snow melts. Now the stems and a few basket-like tops of St. Anne’s lace are all that remain of last summer’s wild beauty.

Goldenrod is not so pretty now but its stoicism is admirable. Along the shoreline, it survives the worst of the elements as it is battered by the salty spray from the icy water until the harbour freezes. They will welcome the ice when it finally covers the harbour this year. 

It is easy to overlook the brown wild things along the shoreline since the  elements require your full attention much of the time. 

The details of the environment are not usually the focus of attention. However, if you pause and look, you may be inspired by their skyward reach, defying the odds, holding on in a harsh world. Besides, who of us keeps the beauty of our prime?

Through the wildflowers

Looking out to the harbour at Summerside from the boardwalk, one must look through the wildflowers in a number of areas this month. It makes for a rare view of the harbour, filtered through the wild colours and beauty of nature. 

Queen Anne’s lace, whether in a meadow-like setting

or a few clumps here and there, 

always catch the eye. Spent blooms close into basket shapes as the seeds form. The baskets have their own intricacy. Could a human hand create such beauty?

Goldenrod adds some of the yellow of its August glory to the scenes 

as it pops up amid various coloured companions, including the purples of thistle.

Various grasses are tall and wave in the breeze, 

reaching over the heads of most of the passers-by. Their height and uniformity make me stop and look.

Insects love the various wild blooms too and occasionally I capture them with the lens. 

Meanwhile, the harbour has diamonds on its surface, the sun offering her best reflections as background.

Every time my husband and I visit the boardwalk, I photograph the same scenes. This month will bring much change to the area as the flowers set their seed. I am interested to see them.