It's been hot this summer. The heat has been relentless. It seems that the promise of changing weather patterns in the 10-day forecast just keep extending 10 days. Now, we are being told that the heat will be here until at least September 22. One thing for sure...it makes our fall shorter.
Fall, on that note, is showing up everywhere hot or not. This growing season, the wildflowers in the meadows have been exceptional and the project this year was to track the change from first bloom to the end of the season. Parks and Recreation's expansion of the natural grasses program in all aspects,it seems, has been an amazing success
August is always an early morning shooting schedule because of the sun's angle and how it hits the tall grasses and skeletons of the Queen Ann's Lace, or beautiful sunrises over the lake. This year they have been amazing and the florist that have the creative power in their design departments have been rushing to get the skeletons that can be painted or dyed for fall arrangements. Friday, I spotted a lone tractor in one of the high meadows. Instantly, Sunday morning's shoot would be the last as the tractor had begun its mowing of the 'restricted area for mowing'. The mowing is a must however for several reasons. One of those reasons seems to be the broadcasting of the seed pods that ensure the continued success of nature's beauty for the future coming years. The second reason is the migrating hummingbirds.
While the question of how many pelicans will arrive this October 12th at the lake after the death of 13,000 waterfowl at their primary nesting site for the Eastern Flyway in Molt, Montana at Big Lake. A freak hail storm with hail the size of baseballs caught the birds by surprise. The National Park Service said in it's release that there were many more that had been injured and would not make it following their injuries.
Berries have begun to turn in the scrubs and seem to be a bumper crow. The birds are already zeroing in on that fall change. More cardinals and blue jays have been noted than in other years.
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| Bumper Crop of Berries |
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| Mowing of the High Meadows Is Under Way |
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| The Skeletons of Queen Ann's Lace, Tall Prairie Grasses and Early Bloom Wildflowers. |
