Moving Into Autumn On The Farm

The New England Asters which grow beneath some apple trees put on an especially impressive show this year:

And a few dramatically tall and shapely mushrooms sprang up in the unmowed lawn:

I'd thought the Rugosa Roses were finished blooming, but they began to bloom once again in September:

And the old fashioned rose which I saved also began blooming again:

Asiatic Lilies bloom in June - and they always have. Yet one day I was shocked to see bright red lilies blooming in my new little rock garden. They were about three times bigger, taller and more prolific than my other lilies, not to mention their vibrant color:

I'd kept the labels from the bulbs I planted in the spring, so I checked them and learned that these were Dolly Madison hybrid Asiatic Lilies - and they bloom both spring and autumn:

Two more fantail pigeon babies made it past the feathering stage:

The nest was close to the floor and the babies began wandering out of it. I carried them back and their parents immediately began feeding them "pigeon milk:"

They are pretty homely as babies, but their parents love them:

All summer long, as I mowed along the fence line, I'd see miniature pink flowers in the grass near a telephone pole. I'd plan to photograph them after mowing, but then learned that I'd chopped off the flowers. Finally, thinking it might be my last chance for the year, I stopped and took photos so I could identify them:

I almost gave up the search for their identity, but then found an online explanation of how their classification and scientific names were changed in 2004, many decades after my field guide was published. I found a perfect match in photos, then learned that they were a European species. Then I found a website which showed how they'd recently spread to much of the U.S., particularly in the northeast. They are European Centaury, a tiny member of the Gentian family. They bloom prolifically and I read that they are annuals, in spite of their taproot. It seems they'd make a great terrarium plant if only they were perennials:

My neighbor brought over what was probably the last load of grass clippings for the year. Remy was there in a flash, determined to get his fill before the pushy cows arrived. Jasmine, my sweetest cow, got there soon also, and probably for the same reason: