September Full Moon Ricker Pond, Groton Vermont
Sunflowers still going strong into September
Ahhh. 66°F. Perfect. Sunflowers still going strong into Autumn. Because I had such a hard time getting them going, some were started very late and are just now coming into bloom. I don’t expect those to get as big as the others that had an earlier start, but its nice to have fresh ones starting now.
This is one of the branching varieties.
I started three of the Mammoth variety in late June and they were planted in the ground in early July. This is the second Mammoth. It is as tall as the first, but I don’t think the head will have time to grow as large.
I’m calling this a sunflower graveyard. I’m hoping the birds will find it, as one of the best parts of growing the sunflowers is leaving them up as long as possible for the birds to feed on the seeds. But sometimes the branches are weak and break off, so I wanted a place to put the fallen.
Late Summer Visit to Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge
I can’t tell you how awesome it is to live 20 minutes from this amazing natural resource. It is such a treasure. And if you go ‘off hours’ (anytime time but on a beautiful Saturday) there is a very good chance you will only have to share the trail or area with one or two other parties. And if you go during fowl weather, you are pretty much guaranteed to have the place to yourself. The beaver pictures are from Refuge trails, the heron is on the shores of Lake Champlain at the boat access in Swanton.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge
Missisquoi Bay Sunset, Lake Champlain, Swanton VT
Senior Dogs
Be careful what you wish for. German Shorthaired Pointers have a lot of energy. Until you live it – you really may not fully understand what that means. I’ve spent years wishing for the days when they would just.calm.down. Well those days are here. Gitte has never been extremely high energy, but Gunther…..*sigh*. Well, now, he’s acting his age (10) and its bittersweet.
Gitte at 13
