Friday, August 30, 2013

Fading Friday Finds

As summer wanes and we begin its last hurrah as Labor Day weekend begins, I peered out the sliding glass doors to the backyard. Picking up my camera, I head out to the two large mounds of sunflowers...


And I find that my glorious sunflowers are fading fast...


Their golden petals stripped away...and the bumblebees no longer find the pollen they crave...


But their busyness has reaped a harvest...


A harvest gleaned by the goldfinches as they pull the seeds out one by one...


Setting them on the top of the sunflower head or a large leaf where they have time to savor their find...


And even the squirrels devoured the heads full of seeds, like this one, that they chewed off the plant for their own feasting...


And yet...in the middle of these fading blooms of sunshine...I find one still in all her glory...

I am grateful...

It's been a glorious summer!



11 comments:

  1. Pure loveliness even in death, something we should always remember. Love the droopy heads.

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  2. Oh Denise, this is such a great set of photos - walking us through the end of summer phase. Seeing nature supply its own with food is always amazing to me, and I love watching the goldfinches come and feed on our prolific coneflower seed production. This morning I noticed two heads really dark and ripe...the goldens will be arriving now for a show.

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  3. What a powerful and timely photo essay: you have managed to wring every bit of emotion and drama from these fading beauties. Well done!

    xoxo

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  4. There is something so beautiful in the image of a fading flower. I love the story you told and the photos. Lovely!

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  5. Somehow it's the latest blooms that seem the most beautiful and precious, isn't it?

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  6. What gorgeous photos...both your images and words made my heart smile. I'd love to grow a sunflower someday! (too shady in our current yard)

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  7. Beautiful story of summer illustrated with such lovely photos!

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  8. It has been a glorious summer. We have fields that are about finished and some yet to bloom. Such lovely photos.

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  9. As in life, there is still something beautiful in fading blossoms.

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