September in Shropshire has been pretty perfect until the last few days. Now we have bouts of heavy rain, weighing down the garden flowers, washing out the last of summer colours. But between the downpours there are still bees and butterflies about, though nothing like the clouds of them we had earlier in the month when I’d find the allotment verbena covered in Painted Ladies. Of course it’s pretty much the last chance for all the insects to stoke up on dwindling supplies of nectar; sunflowers, Michaelmas daisies and sedum being the busiest bug take-aways.
At the start of the month the wheat behind our house was finally cut. As I said in an earlier post, the dust cloud was monumental, covering the garden in chaff. But that’s a small price to pay for the freedom to roam across an empty field. Doubtless, it won’t be like that for much longer. The field will be ploughed and sown. Farmers no longer leave stubble fields to overwinter, so providing forage for wildlife, particularly native bird species, during the hardest months. For now though, the straw bales left behind have been providing some of Wenlock’s youngsters with new play venues, even if scaling them has been proving something of a challenge.
As Cyndi says: ‘Girls just wanna have fun’.
And from this morning’s garden on the last day of the month, and between the rain showers:
copyright 2019 Tish Farrell
Tish Farrell 
What a wonderful post. Your photos are smashing.
The hay baling reminds me of when I was a kid -150 years ago – when we lived in Ramsay. Behind our house were stables and I remember one summer when one area of the the paddock was stacked with hay bales and us kids hopped over the back fence and had a ball, much like the children in your photos.
Thanks, Ark. Can’t beat the excitement of playing in hay and straw bales – though a bit scratchy if I remember rightly.
What a stunning collection of photos, especially the butterflies, the girls, the poppy transparency and the light and dark of the haystacks.
Many thanks, Meg. Was thinking of you. I have obviously transferred my penchant for windmill pix to actual stacks – not quite as picturesque as Monet’s, but as you say, they have some drama.
Not quite getting into fall here. (Northern California) So, especially appreciate this post and the gorgeous photographs. Nicely done, Tish.
Many thanks, Jamie. The change here has happened suddenly this year. A week or so ago we were having ice cream and seaside weather.
Yes! And today we’re at 53 degrees v. 100 just the day before yesterday. I suppose this is part of the climate insanity.
That is one astounding reverse in temps.
It gives me such joy to see the bees and butterflies Tish. Rain and wind here too so our lawn is a carpet of fallen yellow kowhai flowers and I’m feeling sad for all the birds who were enjoying them so much.
There is something special about the colors of the garden this time of year. Your photos are absolutely stunning. I especially love the bees.
Many thanks, Lisa. We have done very well for bees of all kinds this summer. Quite amazing actually. And yes – September colours – old gold.
A lovely post, Tish. Like Ark, your hay-baling pics took me back to my childhood. There was a wheat field just at the back of our house. Loved your photos of the bees, flowers and butterflies. They made me long for England.
Thank you Sylvia. Didn’t mean to make you homesick. I’ll say ‘brexit’ and that should fix it 🙂
Haha My swear word of the moment is ‘trump’. 😳
Oh yes! That works for me too 🙂
Glorious photos Tish! You’ve still got so much colour left, & I love the butterflies! I don’t remember seeing the big stacks of hay last year, only the rolled bales, but I’ve seen a lot this year, in various fields. Hope you’re able to enjoy some colour for a while longer, & fingers crossed the flowers don’t get flattened by the rain, too soon!
Hello, Debbie. Yes big bales. I think the farmers must have new attachments on their tractors. We noticed them across the land from Pembrokeshire, through Powys to Shropshire on our recent Wales trip. The garden is struggling with more rain today though. All is turning squidgy. Bet it’s wet in your neck of the woods too.
Well done capturing such beautiful butterfly photos, they stay still for such a short time, I can imagine you stalking them camera in hand….
The hay bale photos take me back to the 1950’s when I worked on a Yorkshire farm and we loaded the hay bales by hand tossing them up on to the trailer to be stacked. No mechanical help back then. I seem to remember the sun always shining too.
I remember when hay was tossed onto trailers with those scary pronged hay forks. Now the big farm machines seem to make extra big bales. And yes, I did have some most obliging butterflies this year.
I was younger and fitter using those forks back then
Stunning images Tish, the light in these photos is excellent. Love your range of butterflies and all the colourful flowers and the haystacks with the girls are such fun! And some impressive lines there too 😀
Thanks, Jude. And yes, I’ve just realised about the lines. Must go and find some more 🙂
Truly gorgeous, Tish
Thanks, Ian.
The bees look so happy and furry. Great flowers. Are you having real autumn? We are sort of having a bit of autumn. Some red on a few trees. A lot of yellow. But not the kind of Autumn New England is famous for.
These days we usually have a slow slide into autumn during October, so don’t get the dramatic changes in leaf colour. In fact the best colours are often the oaks in December. But we’re definitely heading into autumn temperature-wise this week, and it’s now very very wet, which doesn’t usually happen till November.
Such a riot of colours and flower power attracting so many bees and butterflies. The seasons pass by so quickly! The hay bales look quite sculptural against the barren field.
I had such fun with those bales, though not quite as actively as the girls 🙂
I can see how the light is softening since some of your earlier posts, Tish. However, there is still such a wonderful vibrancy in your patch. The straw bales are very sculptural. Beautiful photos.
It is a shame that the farmer doesn’t leave the stubble. Disturbing the soil profile releases a lot of carbon into the atmosphere.
Yes, a change in the light, though not much of that today. More rain. And re your point about the stubble, it is a very sad soil between the stalks. And desperate for a rest.
Does your farmer neighbour do crop rotation, Tish?
Not really. Wheat alternates with with oil seed rape; once we had field beans, and once oats. Otherwise, the field has been continuously under crop since we moved here in 2006.
That’s harsh.
It’s very heavy ground too. So compacted.
Beautiful….sad though your local farmers don’t allow fields to overwinter any more. Modern farming seems to have disconnected from the natural cycles.
Yes, lots of disconnection on the farming front. But some thoughtful farmers too – here and there. Just spotted this Pink Tractor from Extinction Rebellion Farmers in Farmers Weekly. Good on them.
https://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/farmers-and-pink-tractor-to-join-london-climate-change-rally
I’ve just come from Su’s, via Pauline, to here. What a delightful way to spend an hour before the guests are up. 🙂 🙂
So happy to have you popping into Wenlock and bringing Su and Pauline along. What good company 🙂
Wouldn’t that be great in real life? One day we’ll have to organise something like it 🤗🍾🚤💕
🙂 🙂 🙂
It’s so lovely to see photos of beautiful flowers, butterflies and children playing – a tonic from all the bad news everywhere.
It’s so lovely to see photos of beautiful flowers, butterflies and children playing – a tonic from all the bad news everywhere.
I was hoping that’s how it comes across. Thanks, Suzanne.
These are marvelous, Tish. Thank you!
Thank you so saying so, Hannah.
Thank you for bringing the beauty of changing season colors to us. Beautifully captured, Tish!
My pleasure, Amy.
Those three bees must be good friends to be willing to share a flower that closely. 😀
Aren’t they so good to share like that 🙂
😀
Stunning photos – and who doesn’t like the orderliness of bales of hay?
You’re dead right about the bales. Thanks, Lani.
Beautiful photos Tish, especially the opener.
Alison
Many thanks, Alison.
As usual, Tish, your photographs are beautiful. I’m particularly fond of the colours in the guerrilla garden beautifully backlit.
Glad you could pop into the garden with me, Joanne.
You’ve captured not just one but three bees on the bloom! Fabulous!
Thank you for the lovely glimpses into your allotment and fields. The girls trying to climb the hay bales are a riot! And a scaled indicator of just how large they are!
They were obliging bees, weren’t they. Thank you, Ju-Lyn.
This really captures the last days of summer. Hoping that there will be more changes in farming practice as NFU are now promoting zero carbon for 2040 and working for more biodiversity.
Yes, I think British farmers are indeed doing their bit. The National Trust have been reviving some old farming practices – feudal strip farming for instance which seems to be good for biodiversity.