Thursday, August 30, 2012

Farewell Sweet August

"Fairest of the months! Ripe summer's queen
The hey-day of the year
With robes that gleam with sunny sheen
Sweet August doth appear."
~ R. Combe Miller

Being a lover of summer, I'm sad to see August end. I've chosen the photos below with which to bid it farewell.


bunny2
A cute, young and a little too fearless bunny figured that if he didn't move, I wouldn't see him. He was wrong.




painted guy
A painted turtle, in mid-stretch, sunning himself by the dam. Someone should write a story about the above two critters...




mama duck
Proud Mama Duck. You can see the fluffy down of some of her babies nestled in front of her.




kingfisher5
A favourite around the pond is the Kingfisher. He's a rather shy bird and kind of thumbs his nose at me by flying off most times when I try to snap his picture. This time he obliged me.




kingfisher4
He was being a real trouper, that day.




sparrow with corn
Back at Frank's place, a young sparrow nibbles on a corn kernel. Frank feeds his visiting birds copious amounts of quality seed. Only the best for his feathered beauties.




rrwb with worm
This lovely red-winged blackbird did his own hunting for food. He's flying to a safe spot to eat his catch.




flowering cone
From critters to flowers. I don't know what this one is but it grows on a cone-like stalk - each tiny purple flower emerges all around it. this one was just beginning to bloom.




thistle explosion5
I've posted this thistle-turned-to-seed before but not quite as up close and personal as this.




qal bright sunset
Queen Anne's Lace. I can never quite get enough of this simple, lovely flower. Especially with the sun setting behind her. I will probably have another post dedicated to her sometime soon.




orange flower
The tops of these brilliant petals appear to be waving bye-bye to August, as well. So this seems as good a time as any to end this post.

More in a few days.

46 comments:

Maggie May said...

Lovely photos. I find that my bunnies often hide their heads under something & think that I can't see them. They must be at the toddler stage, mentally!
Lovely photos.
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Merisi in Vienna said...

What a wonderful way to honour the beloved month of August!

Frank's love for the birds is a shining example of great humanity. The pictures are all wonderful, I so enjoyed them. Thank you,
Merisi

Merisi in Vienna said...

What a wonderful way to honour the beloved month of August!

Frank's love for the birds is a shining example of great humanity. The pictures are all wonderful, I so enjoyed them. Thank you,
Merisi

Mimi said...

Awww, goodbye August, goodbye summer. I hate to see summer come to an end; for me, it's closing the cutrains on another year, and back to school/college.
Lovely tribute Hilary, and I love your ending, with sunflower waving goodbye. The thistle photo could as easily be a fireworks display!

Birdie said...

Ah, I guess it is that time of the year. How did it get to be the end of September?

Brian Miller said...

oh wow...was loving on the critters, but the flowers stole the show for me today....beautiful...

June said...

Is the unknown plant perhaps mullein? I like it just because of the name. :-)
Turtle looks as if it's stretching prior to exercise . . . but that's where my head is lately, so perhaps not.
The thistle fluff is magical. Magical!

June said...

Oh, not mullein. Lamb's ear.

Nadezda said...

Lovely sunflower! I hope the fall will bring sunny days and warm weather, without wind and cold.

Leah J. Utas said...

Your pics are so filled with life. I love that turtle.

DJan said...

The turtle got me for some reason. It's filled with something like yearning. Fabulous pictures, as usual, Hilary. I always feel uplifted when I gaze at your art.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

I know, I love this time of year but hate that it is also summer's end!

Daryl said...

making me itch to take the macro out for a walk

Anonymous said...

Oh no - summer is ending... Love those last two pics.

TexWisGirl said...

bring on queen anne!!! can't get enough of your shots of her! :)

Anvilcloud said...

I don't know why rabbits do that freeze thing as they are pretty quick.

Red said...

Yes August and all things start to look a little worn . Out of that you can still find beauty.

Rita said...

The photos of the rabbit and the red-winged blackbird especially brought me back to my childhood in Minnesota. All beautiful. Love the little kingfisher! :)

Kat said...

Beautiful shots!
That pic with the red-winged blackbird is quite a catch! :)

Scott Law said...

Wonderful selection of nature's beauties.

messymimi said...

Summer hangs around here longer, we probably won't see autumn for another 6-8 weeks. These beautiful pictures i will take as a reminder to me that the heat will end here, too, sooner or later.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Beautiful pictures. With all the heat we have had,I look forward to fall.

Meri said...

Gorgeous shots, Hilary! I saw a similar bunny in my yard the other day, but didn't have my camera close at hand.

Suldog said...

Perhaps it's just some sort of latent 70's flashback, but when I look at the photo of the Queen Anne's Lace, it looks to me as though The Sun is smiling while holding a masquerade mask to its face.

Gail Dixon said...

Your photography is so exquisite. The focus on the red-winged blackbird is awesome. I have never gotten one in flight and in focus. This is a beautiful farewell to August. Which I will not miss, btw. :) Summers in the south are brutal and I am always glad to see them go.

L. D. said...

Wonderful photos of all of the little critters. They seem to be out and about doing the things that they like to do. Great shots.

Liz Mays said...

You must be stealthy in your stepping because I always hear that telltale splash of having just missed a turtle!

Bob Bushell said...

A rabbit, birds, turtle etc are tremendous, really cool.

Unknown said...

the rabbit, the blackbird, the thistle an the last picture...just amazing!

Out on the prairie said...

I get nostalgic this time of year that I haven't played enough, or hard enough.I always hate to give it up. One year i traveled to stay with the warm season.

Lisa Gordon said...

These are beautiful, Hilary.
That little bunny is absolutely precious, and the image of the turtle is fantastic. Great reflection!

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

The last one looks like the flames of a fire...which suitably represents the heat of August. :) Love the stretching turtle and the kingfisher. Great captures.

yaya said...

This summer has flown by..but I love fall and I will welcome it and hopefully snap a few pics of my own..but none as cool as yours!

SandyCarlson said...

Oh, Hilary! That mid-stretching turtle shot stole my heart! Amazing and wonderful and sweet. All of these shots are a stunning tribute to late summer. Thank you!

Gillian Olson said...

What a wonderful and picturesque way to bid August farewell. Beautiful pictures.

Rob-bear said...

You have shared such delights with us, again. Thanks.

It has been a while since I've seen a Kingfisher. I used to see one from time to time when we lived by the river in our house.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful images! I think you work some kind of magic on those critters! Hard to believe September is here...

ZielonaMila said...

Beautiful photographs, admiring such views it is very joy. I am greeting

Dave said...

Nice pictures a always Hilary. There is a story about the turtle and the hare - do you remember it - about how they raced and the turtle won? :-) - Dave

Cuby said...

I come here from Out on the prairie and find delightful photos, love the brightness of the last one.

Pauline said...

If you haven't already, you should make postcards of these shots. The flowers are superb!

Kerry said...

All fantastic shots. The end of August is a bit sad isn't it? But I love the autumn too.

I look forward to more Queen Anne's lace.

Hilary said...

Thanks kindly, everyone!

Dan said...

If this were the Olympics, you won Gold for this series.

I love the last photo most. :)

Linda Reeder said...

What a lovely salute to August. I'm with you, I hate to see it go. And Kingfishers are one of my most favorite birds. They are so entertaining!

Indrani said...

The bird in flight is superb! Great series.