In the Yard

Lots of things happening in the garden here at home.  Mrs. F.G. has created a genuine oasis of interesting plants which are all unfolding as summer progresses.  Steady sun and warmth recently has helped them.  Clematis and Hostas are blooming, and Day Lilies are about to burst.  Still occasional birds stopping to visit, notably the Cardinal and Blue Jay.

Two of the new Clematis flowers

 Pinks that are really pink!

 Reddish-brown Pansies that I like

Canna Lily on the deck

 One of several succulents in our tiny scree garden, with gravel for mulch

 Cabbage White - can you spot it?

 Cardinal and Blue Jay in the grass

I think this is our tiniest Hosta in bloom

A month ago it wasn't the Hosta but the tiny succulent in front of it in bloom.

Summer Weed Flowers

Mid July is the time when many summer 'weeds' burst into bloom.  I'd call them wildflowers, but most people know them as weeds.  Never-the-less their flowers are often beautiful, and they're an important mark of the seasons.  Here's a selection, all taken along my own street, or around the block where I regularly ride.

 Red Clover

 A variety of Crown Vetch

Another variety of Crown Vetch

Daisies 

 Yarrow

 

Sow Thistle,
and after it has gone to seed.

Chicory

 St. John's-wort

 Queen Anne's Lace

I like this one because my mother gathered it to use in her wedding bouquet.

Beautiful even before the flower unfolds.

Field Bindweed

Sweet Peas

A pretty addition to roadsides and ditches around here.

All of these plants colonize bare or disturbed ground, like the vacant lots at the end of our street.  It saddens me to think that once all the houses get built these will all disappear, replaced by the uniformity of grass lawns - a stunning loss of biodiversity in a small area, at huge cost.

And where will I go to get pictures then?

Saturday was Jam Day!

Friday afternoon we drove out to Dykstra's farm to buy fresh strawberries for making jam.  Mrs. F.G. has always made jam - strawberry, peach, raspberry, black currant, you name it.  It's an annual summer ritual never to be broken.  Even though we don't use a lot, it gets used for small thank you gifts on various occasions when a personal touch is appreciated.  And my favourite, the black currant, does get used!

Dykstra's farm outside Clarksburg is the place to go locally, even though their main annual crop is apples.

We also stopped at Goldsmith's farm market outside Thornbury where they have a good selection of fresh veggies, meats and some baking, all local food if it's available.  They had strawberries too, and cheaper, but by going direct to the farm we got the best, biggest and freshest berries, ideal for jam making.

Look at the size of these berries!  I hope your mouth is watering.

And after several hours of hard work by Mrs. F.G. on Saturday morning, here it is, the final product, 20 jars of strawberry jam.  And I should say that Mrs. F.G. is the world's best jam maker, great taste and perfect texture.  My job was just to stay out of the way!

Church Dinner

The church we attend has a big roast dinner every summer as a fund-raising event.  A lot of volunteer work goes into it, and a lot of community members attend.  We went in the morning to help with preparations.  Several churches do something similar, and members attend other churches' events to support them as well as getting a great meal,  Sorry, I didn't get a picture of my roast beef, but it was delicious!!!  And delicious cherry pie for desert.

Turns out they didn't actually need much help that I could usefully provide, so after I had done what I could I went outside to look around.  Though we drive by it every week, it wasn't until I took a close look that I realized what a nice garden it is.

 Evening Primrose

Spirea and a Bumblebee that wouldn't turn around for a more flattering view.

 Clustered Bellwort

And a few weeds, like this Mallow.

 And this Sow Thistle.  The leaves give it away.

While we were there helping in the morning and the lights were off in the sanctuary I took the time to get a picture of this stunning stained glass window.  It's nearly 20 feet high and of course the colours represent a sunset over Georgian Bay.  This is a modern church all built on one level, so it's totally wheelchair friendly, one thing that appeals to us.

Monarch!

I saw a Monarch up close today, my first of the year, although I'm sure we've seen some fluttering by as we drive around.  Monarchs have become a symbol of ecological health here, and I always watch out for them every year.

Here it is, feeding on a Milkweed flower.  There are only two places I can get to in my chair that feature a few beautiful wildflowers (weeds) growing up at this time of year. Today I went around the block where there's a 100' stretch of tall grasses and Wild Chervil, along with some Milkweed and Chicory.  I said to myself "I'll stop by and get some pictures on my way back".

So I did, and there was a Monarch fluttering around the patch of Milkweed.  It seemed more happy fluttering than landing and sitting still, so I thought this was the best photo I'd get.

The Milkweeds were about half out in bloom, and looking beautiful.

Then it fluttered again and landed right beside me!  I got several decent shots before it fluttered away again.  I'm pleased with my iPhone results on these ones.

We heard a talk about Monarch migration at the museum last spring, and I learned a lot.  Apparently Monarchs take 3 or 4 generations to migrate back to southern Ontario from their main over-wintering site in Mexico, so the Monarchs we see now are probably 4th generation.  However Monarchs hatched here in the summer can normally reach Mexico in one annual migration.

Buttercup Season

I've been so busy sharing the many excursions we get out on that I'm falling behind on my posting about the continually changing seasons.  That's partly what this blog is supposed to be about after all.  Buttercup season is almost ending now, but it's contributed a lot of bright yellow to the fields as we drive around, back and forth to Owen sound especially.

I find Buttercups very hard to photograph close-up, especially in the sun.  There is absolutely no contrast in the bloom at all, no brown stamens to contrast with the yellow petals.  This is as good as I've got.

I usually find them in bigger patches.  These ones were growing in the ditch just around the corner against a background of Dandelions gone to seed.

I think this is my prettiest photo of Buttercups this year though, bright yellow mixed in with purple Dames Rocket.

This is why I think I can legitimately refer to a Buttercup 'season'.  In places, they turn the fields yellow for 3 or 4 weeks.

There have been some other yellow flowers in bloom recently too.  This one, so tiny you've probably never noticed it, is Black Medic.  I might even be in your front lawn.

The other common yellow flower at this time of year is Bird's Foot Trefoil.  It has proliferated along roadsides and even appears to grow on concrete.  It actually grows on long tendrils that reach out across the surface of the ground.  If you return when it has gone to seed it actually does look like a three toed bird's foot.

Weekend Visiting and a New Chariot

We had a busy weekend of visiting and really enjoyed it.  On Saturday our good friends Gord and Cathy dropped by for coffee and a visit.  They have sold their home in the country but won't have access to their new home in Bayfield until the fall, so in the meantime they're off to the Maritimes for the summer in their camper van.

We were honoured to be included in their 'farewell tour', stopping in at family and friends.  You can follow them at 'Travels with Gord and Cathie' (where Gord has also posted about encountering two furry gnomes in Meaford - with a photo "in their home habitat"!)

Then on Sunday my distant cousin from Kingston drove this way to visit family and friends.  We had a wonderful visit over Chinese food at the Crystal Buffet in Collingwood.  Hoping she'll get back later in the summer.

On the way we stopped at Greentree Nursery and traded in a tree we bought in the spring (which had died) for a new tree. The new one is a 'Samaritin' Dogwood, a variety of Cornus kousa, and has variegated leaves and beautiful white blooms.  It's already planted and looks great!

Today the team arrived to bring my new wheelchair.  It has 'eye-level technology' so in theory this puts me in a position to have an eye level conversation with you.  In practice I think it will mean that I now have to put the dishes away as well as wash and dry them, since I can now reach the kitchen cupboards!

The one I've been using has just been a loaner.  Last August we were told my personal one would probably arrive in two weeks!  Well, ten and a half months later and it's finally here!  It is almost identical to the one I have, but for the neat new 'vertical rising' feature.  Ontario does pay for 75% of an (expensive) wheelchair like this, but I won't bother you with the hoops you have to jump to get approval.