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!

Against the elements

These images speak to me. Snow drifted over the earth far enough from the beach where a few winter-darkened evergreens are rooted. Dried grasses, flowers and shrubs poked their heads through the snow into the biting wind. All are determined to survive.

The same evergreens in summer are tree green, a colour which disappears with the warmer temperatures and diminished light. Yet, the trees brighten up again as spring takes hold. Their determined vigil in the worst of weather and shortened daylight is inspiring.

The ground vegetation is inspiring too. It provides definition to the snow drifts which follows the contour of the land not far from the beach. The “heads up” attitude of the vegetation stands against all extremes of weather. Individual strands of dried grass stand against the skyline. Determination is on the horizon.

Against the tree line of the park, a few trees look desolate. However, they too have aspirations similar to their compatriots and dream of days when they will stand with others in their own forest.

Sometimes the affairs of nature parallel those of people.

Along the way

Over the spring and summer months, my husband and I enjoyed our excursions around our island home of Prince Edward. Along the way, we encountered some curiosities which give us pause for their location or appearance. Some are man made, others occur in nature and drew our attention.

A sunflower grew at the end of the salt marsh again this year. Birds or squirrels are the source of the seed which walkers provide for them. Two years ago one sunflower grew near the location of this year’s bloom. We always marvel at such errant blooms.

On a recent trip to our favourite seafood store, the lobster tank held two blue lobsters which are real curiosities. Such lobsters occur 1 in every 2 million lobsters, the genetic anomaly from an over abundance of the pigment crustacyanin.

The boardwalk in Summerside has been undergoing repairs the last two years. This year, the western end of the popular walkway is under repair which includes the bridge over the stream where the squirrels and birds gather to be fed by walkers. We regularly take a photo of the progress on the bridge as we wait for the reopening of this end of the boardwalk.

It hopped in front of us, this Two-striped Grasshopper, an eating machine which loves to dine on crops. It was hopping along the boardwalk. No crops here! 

It was unusual to see this hot air balloon one morning through our bathroom window. We have watched them in Alice Springs, Australia, Las Vegas in the United States and at a festival in Ottawa, Canada one summer. This was the first sighting on our island home. Travel wasn’t necessary this time.

A different kind of bird greeted us along the boardwalk one morning as a Search and Rescue helicopter patrolled the shoreline. A young man was missing and a month later hasn’t been found. 

This convertible 1973 Triumph pulled into a parking lot recently as I waited for my husband. What a beauty for a ride on an warm end of summer day!

Sometimes a dilapidated old vehicle brings a smile. This one was in St. Peter’s Harbour when we visited a few weeks ago. 

Later we saw it at the lawnmower races. But, that’s another story.

Sunflowers

There it stands, facing south near where the stream empties into the harbour at Summerside. It is easy to miss this sunny beauty with the two buds waiting their turn to shine. We smile when we notice it. 

My husband and I saw a sunflower along this bank a few years ago. The sunflowers are probably from the birdseed left by admirers of the animals in the area. A seed planted itself along the bank when it floated downstream or a bird dropped it. Whatever the method, there it planted, sprouted and grew, which is no small feat.

While it was windy this day, it was low tide. On days of high tide and high winds, sea water breaches the bank and floods the stream and salt marsh. How did the little seed survive and go on to thrive?

A few days later, we looked for the sunflower from our perch on the gazebo again. “Look, there are more,” I said as I looked left along the bank. 

We walked down the boardwalk and along a trail out to the shore. The sunny faces rimmed the shoreline.

A few plants were still in bud while others were in different stages of blooming. 

One bloom was perfect, the centre of its face more green than the more mature flowers. 

All were in the shadow of the gazebo. 

“Remember those sunflower seeds I bought a few years ago?” my husband asked. “I nurtured them for weeks. They weren’t as perfect as these accidental ones.” 

And once again, nature shows us how it’s done!

The boardwalk in late summer

It’s been a hot and humid summer, with weeks of heat advisories. My husband and I have not walked the boardwalk in Summerside, Prince Edward Island for a few months, so when the heat advisories ceased, off we went. 

Numerous Cabbage white butterflies flit around the foliage along the boardwalk. However this White admiral pauses long enough for me to take a photo.

The birds are active as usual, especially the blue jays. There are dozens of them in this area and their calls fill the air. On a day when there is no wind, the calls of the jays drown out the crows and ravens.

Chipmunks are back again. I didn’t see them this past spring. They are more timid than the squirrels which approach people. Chipmunks are more shy and less trusting of people. 

Squirrels take every morsel offered by passersby. Every generation of the furry creatures learns quickly to approach all who happen by. They are rewarded often enough to keep them interested.

The Common grackles take interest in the bird seed left by people. They watch stealthily as they approach the seeds, like bandits!

Song sparrows attract attention as they sing and hop among the branches. Rarely do they land on the walkway. 

Their friends the Mourning doves mosey along the boardwalk, oblivious to the walkers.

In the water, American black ducks periodically hide among the grasses at the edge of the stream.

A muskrat takes time to check for peanuts. The younger ones are trained by their parents in what to watch for and when to hide.

Greater yellow legs find their way to the stream every year. This year, one is commonly around on her own with occasional yellow leg visitors.

A Great blue heron loves this marsh area as well. Often found wading in the water, on this day she is stood guard in a spruce tree. This is the first time we’v seen a heron in a tree. 

I also caught her flying past on her way elsewhere.

Osprey nests looks abandoned. Their property needs a ‘Vacancy’ sign.

As a tribute to all the people who bring peanuts and seeds to feed the animals, a single sunflower seed, carried by the wind, water or dropped by a bird, took root along the water’s edge. She shines for all to see as people and animals go about their business. It will be interesting to see if birds eat at the seeds when they mature.