Pink Zinnias

Companions to the Cosmos I blogged about yesterday are these colorful Zinnias.  They are a reliable annual flower---I plant a few every year.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…..before starting to take photos for this blog I never took the time to look closely at flowers and notice their intricate details.   

Cosmos

Everyday, I march right past a patch of Cosmos on my way to search for wildflowers.  I guess it was about time I stopped and snapped photos of them, too.   

Bear in mind that I don’t have a macro lens which would produce much clearer close-ups.  I use a 55-200mm lens.  No touch-ups were done on the photo above.  Morning light somehow provided for a blue background even though there was no blue in the background.  The photo below received only a cropping. 

Asters

At last, some asters in bloom!  It was yesterday and the wind was blowing too hard for taking photos, but I took some anyway.  A fellow blogger had recently suggested that I try using the action setting on my camera and I think it might have helped.  Thank you, Deserthen!   

What I really need to do is take a photography class sometime, but I’ll probably never get around to it.  (Many years ago, someone actually gave me a “round tuit”---it looked like a wooden coin---but, I’m afraid I never got around to not misplacing it.)

Morning Light

Yesterday morning, in between doing calf chores and getting ready for church, I meandered down the lane with my camera to look for photo opportunities.

First of all, there was this silage wagon waiting patiently to be filled with more chopped corn….  

Next, there were blackbirds standing guard over evidence of the chopper’s recent foray through the cornfield….

Further along, a spider web glistened conspicuously in the morning light….

And, another type of web was there, too….

Early morning light gives everything a special look and I decided I should try to take photos at that time of day more often. 

Tired

Truth be known, I’m getting a little tired of blogging photos of these golden blossoms….

They’re about the only wildflower a-bloomin’  around here right now, however.

Untitled

Another view from the far end of the farm….

I was using the wrong lens for a landscape photo, but on second thought, I think I kind of like the dreamy, blurred look of the background.

Blue and Gold

Yesterday morning I traipsed out to the far end of the farm and found lots of blue and gold…..

We have the perfect mix of early fall weather right now…..warmish-cool and sunny.

Fritillary Butterfly

Here’s a Fritillary butterfly on a sprig of Goldenrod…..

This photo was taken yesterday morning along the gravel road near our farm.   

Harvest Begun

This is a recent photo, taken in the early evening.  As you can see, some of the corn has been harvested already---it was chopped for silage.   

Red Leaf

Apparently, this Burning Bush leaf was in a hurry to display its autumn style.

Every year I look forward to seeing the colors of the fall season and wish they would last longer.

Happy Labor Day!

New Photo File

Now that September has arrived, its time to start a new photo file---“Fall 2011”---on the computer.  Here are some of the first entries.

Pumpkin blossom:

Foxtail:

Soybean pods: If I could post sounds on the blog, you’d hear cicadas buzzing, crickets chirping, and corn leaves rustling.  The weather is typical for early September---summerlike, warm and humid---with cooler temperatures in the forecast.    

Golden Unknown

Lots of these along the roadsides right now.  

I’m not sure if they are a type of coreopsis or a sunflower. 

July Daisy

Another photo from early July.  These aren’t wildflowers….they came from a variety pack of seeds I scattered a few years ago.

The roadsides and fields are kind of dusty and lackluster right now.  Goldenrod are here and there, but they don’t photograph very well.  There are clumps of swaying prairie grasses, but they don’t cooperate for a good photo, either.  What’s a wildflower-blogging farmwife to do?! 

Windmill

A scene from early July….

The windmill is an ornamental one which sits in the flower garden. 

Goldenrod

Its Goldenrod season.  Their blossoms are very tiny and difficult to photograph close-up with the lens I have.  Lately, I’ve snapped many photos of them while on my daily walks, then ended up deleting the majority.  Another problem with Goldenrod is that they quickly become brown-tinged and thus less attractive, especially close-up.  This one had just begun to bloom.       

Sunflower

Wild sunflowers are in bloom right now.  I spied this mostly unblemished one and immediately snapped its photo!

Coneflowers

This Coneflower scene was cropped out of a larger photo.  I applied a sandstone texture to add some hopefully artistic interest. 

The summer wildflower-blooming season is mostly over with now, though I’m watching for some asters to possibly make an appearance.   

Black-eyed Susans

Awhile back, I found this patch of Black-eyed Susans blossoming happily in the road ditch.  (Thank goodness for the roadside ditches…..they provide a home for many different wildflowers!)  Several years ago, I planted Black-eyed Susans in a couple spots around our farmyard and they have spread all over the place.  They start blooming in late July and provide color until the first frost.

Roadside Coneflowers

This photo was taken a few weeks ago.  (Don’t tell anyone, but I’m running short of up-to-date flower photos.)  These yellow coneflowers are no more.  Dusty doldrums have overtaken the roadsides in our area.  All vegetation in the roadsides and fields begins to dry up at this point in late summer, filling the outdoors with a gentle rustling sound that follows you wherever you go.  

Hint of Autumn

Here’s how the Wild Carrot aka Queen Anne’s Lace looks right now, a hint of autumn color in their midst.

What a fun wildflower to have around!  They playfully sway in the breeze, unabashedly displaying their various stages of style.  Starting out as lacy white flowers, they eventually fold gracefully into artsy, basket-like shapes.