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Welcome to my Western Pennsylvania garden. Join me on a "Walk Down the Garden Path".

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Meadow Walk

Yesterday afternoon, as the baby was napping, John and I took a walk up to the back field/meadow to see what there was to see up there. Everything is dry, dry, dry. You can see one of the paths my husband had cut through the meadow as a walking trail. He did this weeks ago, which was when we last mowed.


Here are some close-ups of the flowers we found on our walk.

A Thistle

This little purple-pink flower. It was the only one like it I could find.


Queen Anne's Lace


This is a picture of our neighbors adjoining field. They have different things blooming, goldenrod and what looks like a deep purple butterfly plant. I don't think they keep their field mowed as much as we do ours. But since we don't have a big tractor, we have to keep up with it or else it is impossible to take care of. Although the meadow look has it's merits, and we may end up keeping it more meadow-like, with some paths cut through for walking.

Just yesterday, Gail put a name to this bug for me. Yes, it's the Milk Weed Bug, on a Milk Weed Seed pod.

The sad, bird's eye view of my garden. It looks more like October than August.



One cosmos of just a few which have bloomed in my new wildflower area I was trying to establish this year. I'll work on it more next year.

Thanks for joining us on our walk. I hope you enjoyed it.

13 comments:

tina said...

I did enjoy the walk. I really wish I had a meadow close by as I love the wildflowers. I do walk on base and I can enjoy them there though. I think the purple flower might be a kind of aster? They are pretty. Those milkweed bugs are ugly but they serve a purpose as Gail said. Very interesting.

TC said...

I enjoyed my walk with you very much. Thanks for having me along. ;~)

I don't understand how it can be so dry there. We've had one of the wettest summers I can remember. But I haven't checked the official rainfall amounts for the year.

I used to plant cosmos every year, didn't this time. After seeing your picture, I wish I had. They were my maternal grandmother's favorite.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the wildflower walk in the meadow. Those purple thistles are pretty with that fluff on top. Queen Anne's Lace is one of my favorite wildflowers.

my passion said...

Hi Cindy,

Wow..I'm excited, never been in a meadow before. I enjoyed the walk very much..thanks.

I loved your mosaic stepping stones. I think I'll give it a try. Thank you so much for sharing.

Regards

Zeq
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

DP Nguyen said...

That's so wonderful that you can take a walk with your hubby when the baby is sleeping. Very romantic.

The photos are beautiful. I love that pinkish flower.

I wished i lived near such beautiful wildflowers.

Cindy said...

Tina ~ I'm investigating that purple flower. I'll let you know once I identify it. Those are ugly bugs aren't they?

TC ~ Yes funny the difference thirty of forty miles makes. The weather dividing line must run right between us. Cosmos has been a favorite of mine for a long time. I am trying to get it established so it self seeds itself.

PG ~ The thistles are pretty but we probably should cut them down before they go to seed and we have a field of thistles. LOL

Zeq ~ Welcome, I'm so glad you visited. Please let me know how the stepping stones turn out for you.

DP ~ Yes, we "occasionally" have time alone together. But our walk couldn't be too long, lest she wake and find herself all alone.

tina said...

Yes! Do let me know about the purple flower.

Gail said...

Cindy,

I love fields and the way they smell in late August and September, there is nothing like it! I do wish it weren't so dry there for you. Is the purple flower New York Iron Weed? It looks like it from the the enlarged photo. It is one of my favorite plants! What a delight to have it a field over!

Thank you for the walk, I needed it!

gail

Cindy said...

Gail ~ You are so right. Thank you for identifying it.
We have a few plants but not nearly the amount as next door. But I get to enjoy that just the same :)
It's a favorite of mine as well.

Dave said...

A friend of mine when I was growing up over in Latrobe lived on several acres of meadow land that his dad would cut pathways through. It made for some great memories. I've always wanted to live near a natural area like that. Thanks for the walk!

Eve said...

I would love to have a meadow and yours looks like it would be fun to walk through. You never know what you will see. I love thistle.
I love the look of dried milkweed pods. I am a pod gatherer. I love using them in arrangemnts. I need to get my cattails and dry them. I forgot.
Beautiful coneflower. Billy loves them.

Rose said...

Enjoyed walking with you, Cindy. I'm becoming more fond of the meadow "look," too--certainly cuts down on the mowing! But I do feel for you with your lack of rain. It's dry here, but we had so much rain earlier in the summer that most everything is still pretty green.

I see that Gail identified the purple plant for you. I was going to say I thought it was an iron weed. I took a walk a few weeks ago around a prairie plot at a nearby park and saw what appears to be the same plant. After someone identified it for me I checked it out on a website, and it was the iron weed. They're really striking, aren't they?

Cindy said...

Dave ~ Meadow pathways must have been fun as a kid! I bet you found lots of interesting things on those walks.

Eve ~ That's something I never thought of, collecting the milk seed pods. Maybe I'll do that this year.

Rose ~ You were right - Iron Weed. They are very striking, especially a whole field full, I have seen several lately.