Season of corn

Driving through the country the other day, and saw a flash of brown through the greenery. It seemed out of place at this time of year in the Green Mountain state. I looked more closely, and saw the brown shading happened to be the tassels of corn stalks maturing in the fields. Pickup truck selling corn in the usual spot in West Rutland.

Berries ripening and reddening on a tree in West Rutland. Putting on a vest in the morning at work. Noticing a bush on the way from Steve's office to work in the morning. They look like something that should have been blooming some time last May, but here they are. They must be some kind of hydrangea. Lynn at work calls them snow-ball trees.

Regal

Cloudy. There is a vine that appears in Vermont this time of year. It covers the tops of bushes in the back yard, and seemingly everywhere else. It makes said bushes appear to be adorned with pearly white tiaras, making the Green Mountain State appear even more regal than usual.

yellowing

Rainy. How many seasons are there in Vermont? I don't know. Coming to the end of iced coffee season. Leaves yellowing on a branch of an elm tree in the back yard. Red leaves on a maple in West Rutland. Leaves falling from the crabapple tree at work.

wildflower heaven

Jewelweed, Queen Anne's Lace, Joe Pye Weed, Cardinal Flower, Black-Eyed Susan; Vermont is wildflower heaven.

Summer to fall

I never really thought I would be starting this blog up again, but I might be giving a presentation on journaling the natural world some time this fall. Seemed like it would be prudent to get some newer material on site. I started it up yesterday because I wasn't sure if I could remember how to put all the pieces together, and Erin was here in case I got stuck. She & her family have been here off and on over the past few weeks. It has been great having them here, such a blessing. She and Poppy left yesterday to start on their new adventure with Andy. We drove them to the train. It was a beautiful summer day. Somehow it seemed on the way back that summer turned ever so slightly into fall.

Bluebirds

The other day I saw a cluster of bluebirds gamboling together on the lawn. We have been fortunate to have a prime bluebird breeding environment right in our own backyard. Bluebirds like open pasture with bushes/trees some yards away from their nesting site. We have been able to attract bluebirds for the past number of years. The family of bluebirds has grown &  grown over this period of time. In February or March, I often see them hanging around these bluebird houses, waiting for spring. Ellen said she could see them out there from her bedroom window all winter long. Apparently they cluster together in the houses during the winter when the weather turns cold.
Bluebirds often have two broods over the course of the summer. The brood in the spring consisted of 3 fledgelings. The summer batch amounted to 5 more young bluebirds. I honestly think we have more bluebirds in our back yard than any other species other than robins. The color & intensity of the blue they display on their backs is beyond description. It buries itself in the eyes, the brain. One of the reasons I feel so fortunate here on the other side of the creek.