It's very late in the season to be seeing Monarch butterflies, but see one I did.  It was only a few feet away and totally absorbed in feeding on some Verbena blooms.  I was able to get several good pictures before it fluttered away!

 

This must surely be a late-hatching Monarch of this summer, ready to begin its migration southward.   Its wings were not in the least tattered.  What a privilege to see it up close!

Flowers

Just gotta share some of thesew colourful flowers we still have blooming.

Marigold

Mexican Sunflower

Cpsmos

Pink Rose

Red Rose

Right Here on our Street!

Some of the residents in Meaford really get into the spirit of the scarecrow festival too.  Right here on our own street we have a number of bright sparks that have led the way!

Right at the end of the street, in the cul-de-sac, is an entire family.

Next door are a couple of the small commercial scarecrows, but they're done up in a nice display.

Another home got really creative with a wheelbarrow, the handles done up in boots, and a pumpkin for a head.

A pair of big pumpkin-heads.

A life-size figure outside another.

And this couple was my favourite; it's right next door.

A

Hanging by the Harbour

 One of the favourite places to post some scarecrows is along the edge of the hargour, hanging from the light standards.  Here it must be both a lot of work and a lot of fun for the people hanging them up!  These don't need much explanation. 

Once you get down to the museum and beyond, the light standards only have one light, so the scarecrows hang a little differently.

Here against the backdrop of the stored sailboats.

And since I was sown at the harbour, with the very blue waters of Georgian Bay in the background, I took a selfie.  I obviously need to get a selfie stick so these are not just close-ups of my head!

si

More Scarecrows!

Here is round two of the scarecrows in downtown Meaford.  I'll just comment on a couple of these.

There was a sign beside this one that said he was Gordon Lightfoot, the famous Canadian troubadour, who has sung in Meaford Hall in the past.

And this wasn't a scarecrow at all, but a pet stuffed goose that a photographer had along to pose in pictures!

More in the next post!

The Scarecrow Invasion is Here!

Every year Meaford has a fall Scarecrow Festival, and it's here now.  Scarecrows dot the downtown and are clustered in groups, large and small.  Here's the first group of photos, enjoy them and imagine the number of volunteer hours that go into creating them!

I came upon volunteers putting some of the scarecrows in place, with two still lying on the ground.  I couldn't help myself, I blurted "are they dead!"

This fellow in intended to be Gordon Lightfoot, who played in the Meaford Hall several times in the past.

And at the corner of Sykes and Collingwood St. is the big party!

More to come.  But sorry I'm having enormous difficulty with my computer which has clogged up and is operasting VERY slowly most of the time!

Colour in the Garden un September

 Even though it's now October, we have plenty of colourful flowers in the garden at this time of year.  Here's a collection for your enjoyment.  There seems to be an orange and pink thing going on here.

This is a bright orange Calendula, sometimes known as a pot marigold.

This Mexican Sunflower just keeps on blooming.  For a couple of weeks it was favoured by our Monarch butterflies.

Just a Marigold of sorts, but its bright orange blooms have ben looking great for at least two months now.

We have a big patch of white and pink Cosmos.

And one of my favourites, the Fall Anemones.

Finally, I just love the seedheads of this Clematis.  The flowers on this one are very small, so these seedheads are better than the flowers!

J