Making Hay While The Sun Shines

One day I discovered two tractors in my north field, one of them with a tedder for turning over the hay to dry in the sun:

My neighbor was cutting the field in sections with one tractor, leaving it in windrows to dry. Periodically he used the tractor with the tedder to help it dry:

He was busy mowing more of the field with the second tractor:

The hay looked good, almost all grass and clover. I was sure glad I'd sprayed and bush hogged the weeds in June and July:

The Red Clover was in bloom and seemed even more colorful than usual:

I took my share of the first full wagon of hay bales and he drove off with the rest. Last year he sold the hay but this year he has more cattle of his own to feed:

And to prove it really is autumn, the New England Asters began blooming amid the Goldenrod:

And our wild Sedum, called Orpine, continued to bloom but turned a darker pink, almost purple:

My Tree Hydrangea, which had been blooming for a long time, began to develop a reddish tint as its flower clusters prepared to end their display for the season:

"And what is this mess of a weed patch?," you may ask. It's one of the two patches where I planted 12 Globe Thistles this year. They looked so much like Dandelions that I decided to not weed them anymore and hope they'll sort themselves out next spring. I certainly don't want to be pulling up my newly planted Globe Thistles:

The red Rose Mallows were the second ones to bloom, and they added depth to the spectacular display in front of my house: