birds of summer

It's only the middle of August, but it's been a very cold one. Signs of fall are everywhere. Flocks of birds are already meeting and discussing their plans for travelling south. They swoop through our back yard in coordinated manoeuvres and then congregate on the big tree in the back yard.

But the perennials have really loved the cool temperatures and rain showers every second day, and they are doing great.

Icelandic poppy.

I have to keep snipping off the seed heads after the petals fall off to avoid finding hundreds of new plants next year.

I started these hollyhocks from seed a few years ago, and they have rewarded me with dazzling colours over a long season.

This butterfly flower was a mail-order buy this spring, and it's already blooming beautifully.