Autumn on the island

As autumn settles in, the vegetable patch has done its job for another season. Swiss chard and the indestructible kale are still in production while the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and green beans are finished. Our tomato yield was low this year but we hope to make improvements for next year.

Our grandchildren had a school free day this past week so my husband and I accompanied our daughter and the kids to a new park. The kids enjoyed the playground, especially the zip line. 

We had a picnic in the beautiful September sun, then visited an apple orchard in the area. We picked several apple varieties for cooking and eating. Afterwards, the kids had great fun in the playground which wasn’t busy as it would be on the weekends.

It was a wonderful day!

We have Song Sparrows which nest in our hedge and serenade us every summer morning. We suspect they are the source of the errant sunflower which appeared at the end of one of our flower beds near their nest. I photograph the sunflower every day, admiring its sunny disposition which is a constant in any weather.

I always notice rose hips, their size and colours. Some we’ve seen this month are the size of crabapples. They are an autumn staple and probably would make great rose hip jelly.

This past week we walked the Bubbling Springs Trail in the national park on Prince Edward Island which is one of my husband’s favourite trails. The Mountain Ash trees were full of their autumn-coloured berries which stood out against the clear blue sky.

At the head of the trail, we had a picnic with the sun at our backs and the gentle breeze rustling the leaves around us. Chickadees were flitting through the trees and chirping as they do. We enjoyed homemade turkey soup in our thermoses and a cup of tea. It was peaceful and lovely!

We finished our day at the park with a walk on the nearby beach at Dalvay which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. The gulls looked to be enjoying the day too! 

On the way home we stopped briefly at Covehead where the lighthouse was getting a touch-up. It is a popular attraction on the island and is well maintained. 

This coming week is looking like another week for picnics and trail/beach walking. Yay!

Wood Islands

We visited the Wood Islands Park on the east coast of Prince Edward Island this past week. This day use park is across from the ferry terminal and features a beautiful lighthouse. While my husband and I have taken the ferry on a number of occasions, we have never been to the park.

The ferry had recently left port for Nova Scotia and was visible in the distance.

It was a beautiful day and we walked around the small park as hundreds of Cabbage Whites made the rounds of the late summer flowers all around us. 

This one is a perfect specimen while many others look tattered at this point in the season. 

I saw something bobbing in the water periodically and watched for it to resurface again. It was a long distance off shore. 

This is the best photo I could manage of the seal who was fishing as birds flew over the water to the breakwater nearby. It is the first seal we’ve seen here on Prince Edward Island though they are common along the east coast here.

Cormorants and seagulls have taken up residence along the breakwater. It looks like a few Great Cormorants were hanging out with the Double-crested birds. Great Black-backed Gulls were obvious among the seagulls.

I walked down to the beach and was surprised to see dozens of Bank Swallow nests along the shoreline but not one bird was visible. They may have left for warmer climes already. 

Opposite this park is the fishing port of Wood Islands which lies adjacent to the berth for the ferry. Lobster season finishes at the end of June along this part of the coast so some boats are out of the water already.

Close to the lighthouse lies a Victorian Rose Garden planted there by one of the light keepers. Most of the roses are spent now.

However nearby, some of the biggest, reddest and shiniest rose hips made me wonder about rose hip jam. 

In one jam recipe, it takes a kilogram, 2.2 pounds of rose hips to give 500 ml or 2 cups of jam. You have to cut the hips and discard the seeds. I won’t be making that jam any time soon.

There is a back range light near the main lighthouse in the park. It houses an amateur radio station with an antenna nearby which makes the Canadian flag on top look like a postage stamp.

We had other stops that day and already were two hours from home so we didn’t stay long. However, this park is worth another visit.

 

Wild beauty

The wildflowers along the boardwalk have yet to be too adversely affected by the cold and dark of autumn. 

Though the greens are not as brilliant now and many plants have gone to seed, the plants make a pleasing border. 

They are tall, having achieved their height in the long, hot summer days. The border catches the eye.

The city has planted and maintains wild rose bushes along the path. The rose, pink and white blooms are gone now, except for an occasional straggler. Numerous rose hips replace them, some quite large, others more numerous on a bush but tiny.

One group of rose bushes is almost devoid of rose hips. 

There are open hips exposing some seeds on rocks across from these bushes. 

Were the fruit-eating birds such as waxwings, blackbirds and thrushes eating at this table?

Bulrushes present in wet areas are dried out now, having had their brief few green weeks in the sun. The blackbirds enjoy their company either way.

In the harbour, hundreds of geese are gathered in the sand at low tide. They have muted conversations until one talks of leaving and then a loud discussion ensues prior to take-off, as others decide to join the exodus. Similarly, landing geese are noisy as they glide in on the breeze, staking a claim on a landing spot.

Gulls young and old strut their stuff on the exposed sea bed as they forage for food.

In the stream, the neighbourhood yellow legs is swimming around which is an unusual sight for that wader.

The leaves are changing colour now, a huge difference from last week. The breeze shakes a few more from the branches as we walk by.

In our little city, natural beauty is easy to find.