Monarch in the Garden!

It's the time of year for seeing Monarchs and we've had one flitting around the garden for a few weeks now.  So one day I went out to see if I could persuade it to sit still for a moment.  As you probably know, we let a few Milkweed grow in our garden in the hopes that a passing Monarch will lay eggs and we'll see those distinctive caterpillars.

Mrs. F.G. kept track and here is one of her youngsters.

With the magic of zoom we see a little closer view, with those distinctive white, yellow and black stripes.

When I went out to try and get a picture of the butterfly in the back garden, I had to chase it.  It kept flitting from blossom to blossom.

I got closer and closer shots, but it never did open those wings long enough for me to get a picture.

So I had to revert to an old image from a few years back.  And lest there be any confusion, Monarch caterpillars can only feed on Milkweed, but mature butterflies feed on a range of blossoms.  Obviously they really like the Coneflowers in our garden.

Back to the Garden - Daylilies First

We've been to Achy Back Farm, the Sunflower Farm, and watched the sailboats downtown while being very busy with other things too.  I've hardly had time to blog, but it's time to go back to the garden.  The daylilies have been blooming steadily, in a range of colours and forms.

One of my favourites, a deep pirple.

Getting photos from a wheelchair is often a challenge.  Flowers bloom facing the opposite direction, or behind other flowers.  Sometimes a side view is all I can get.

As you know, I like the bright ones like this red one best.

A jumble of orangey-yellow blooms.

A very pale yellow bloom, facing the right direction!

A bright yellow bloom, with very narrow petals.

Love this bright orange and red one.

And very bright yellow.

The deepest purple one we have.  And that's my report on the two-week old Daylilies.

More Sunflowers, and Zinnias

 A few more pictures of bright yellow sunflowers and multi-coloured Zinnias.  If I looked one direction as I rode the trail all the sunflowers were facing me, and if I looked the opposite I just saw the interesting back of the flowers.

A row of sunshine!

And look at the pattern on the reverse of those flowers.

There was every shade of yellow.

They provided a couple of props around the trails to make for more interesting poses.  I think I recognized this old tractor from our spring visits to the tulip fields here.  I didn't recognize the old man!

I'm afraid I'd had enough of the bumps in the trail by the time we got to the end, but it was great to see a sunflower field close to home!

As we neared the exit we arrived at the small Zinnia field.  

While the sunflowers were just at their peak, it seemed to us that the zinnias were just past theirs, though they were certainly still colourful.

Then it was out the gate, around the barn and off to home for us.

The Sunflower Field

On Tuesday this week we headed off to see the sunflower field at Sandhill Creek Farm, west of Hepworth.  The sunflowers were at their peak. and we had a great time.  Got a few pictures too!

As soon as you pull up you can see the thin line of the sunflower field beyond the barn.

After we paid and headed over, a small sign welcomed us to the trail we could follow.

If you look closely you'll see all the sunflowers are facing to the right (east).  Since we were there in the afternoon, there went the theory that sunflowers turn to face the sun all day long.

The trails were great, wide enough for people to pass easily.  You can see straight ahead the rows indicating where the sunflowers were planted.  As long as I was moving parallel to those rows, I was comfortable, but as soon as the trail turned and I was riding across the rows, it was very uncomfortable.  It had been packed down hard, but not quite enouigh!

Right beside me were occasional short smaller sunflowers.

The air was buzzing with the sound of bees - two of them on this flower.

/Sunflowers are certainly glorious flowers when you see them up close.

There was a platform in the middle of the field, so Mrs. F,G, climbed up and got a shot or two over the longer view.  Glorious!

The Sailing School

Meaford is one of those communities that has a sailing school, known as 'Sail Georgian Bay'.  It's a popular place for kids to learn the basics, signing up for a week long camp at a time.  It's fun to sit on the harbour wall and watch them.

It's a very practical school; the kids are in boats on the first or second day and sailing out into Georgian Bay - either excited or terrified, who knows which!

It's a bit of a madhouse at first as they all set out from the dock (out of sight to the right), and head for the bay, out of sight on the far left).  A couple of these boats look a little too close together!

There was a bit of a breeze, and some clearly had trouble controlling their boats.  These two weren't supposed to be heading for the cement wall on the left!

But they got turned around and headed back with the rest.  You'll notice two or three small motorboats carrying instructors, ready to help.

These two were headed up the river until they got turned around.  I thought they might need rescuing.

And these two did need a rescue!

But by the time I left and headed home, at least two boats were out in the bay and the rest were being shepherded along behind them.  

Achy Back Farm

 You may have noticed 'Achy Back Aceres' showing up among my comments, so I thought I'd introduce you to this remarkable place.  We've been stopping there for seven years, since I became paralyzed; it's a great source for fresh local veggies in season, just down the road.

The only advertising they do is this sandwich board where their driveway hits the highway, half-way between here and Owen Sound.

I usually just stay in the car, as it's a bit of trouble to unload and load me, but this time I got out to get some pictures and say hello.  Onions were the first thing I saw on the table.

Beside them were some little zucchini, just the size I like them.  I eat them raw, like a cucumber.

Beside them were some green and yellow beans, and some Patty Pan squash.

Their garlic harvest is well underway; this wagonload had just come in from the fields.

An earlier load was spread out in the shade to dry.

They do grow a few flowers, and everything is planted in long rows like these Sunflowers.

So if you're ever passing by, stop in and pick up some fresh veggies, or a bit of the best garlic around here (It's also the best price).

Speak to the proprietors, Brian and Freda.  I know they will engage you in conversation.

They're the ones with the achy backs!