Bountiful Beauty

The day began normally, with me going out to check on the livestock as soon as it was light. Everything was fine, but I also noted that the baby fantail pigeons were hopping in and out of their nest on the bottom shelf, while all the while their mother kept a close watch on them. Their scraggly tails were trying to feather out, giving them a comical appearance:

 Back in the house, I noticed just outside the front door that the Rose Mallows were looking uncommonly beautiful. I took a photo of them from the front door, while they were still in the shade of the house. Everything seemed to look unusually beautiful:

 I hopped in the car to drive to town but was stopped alongside my own lawn by hundreds of Painted Lady butterflies. When I got out of the car to try to photograph them, I noticed these minuscule flowers at my feet, the plants barely 3" tall but covered with blossoms:

 They were the European Centaury which I'd discovered and identified only a week earlier. Apparently they are spreading across my lawn. I may yet dig some up and try them in my terrarium:

 I walked over to the New England Asters, which appeared to be the main attraction for the hundreds of Painted Lady butterflies. I noticed that there were also Monarch butterflies. They were much less numerous but easier to photograph because they were bigger and less flighty:

 The Painted Ladies were more difficult. Whenever I moved, a cloud of them would rise into the air, making photography difficult. I did manage to get this photo of a Painted Lady, top left - and a Monarch, bottom right:

 Three Painted Ladies, one in flight (the blur). As if the New England Asters were not themselves memorable enough, a cloud of orange and black butterflies surely added to the extravaganza:

 I walked around the house and noticed the Mandarin Honeysuckle, planted this year. It had grown enough that I had to tie it up to the slats on the trellis I'd built. They are reportedly super hardy, so I expect to see it grow much more next year:

 And the new Dolly Madison hybrid Asiatic Lily was still blooming profusely:

 I did some weed-whacking and then collected some windfall apples, half a bucket full, to give to the herd. Yes, I know I had decided not to give them any more, but I figured a half bucket wouldn't hurt:

 And the cows and horses were appreciative. Apples to them are like candy. Yes, it was a day filled with wondrous beauty. It's always there, of course, but easier to see on some days than others:

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: