What’s in a name?

In one of the wetlands near our home there is a recent outburst of yellow flowers the likes of which I don’t recall ever seeing. The Better Half believes they’re some variety of sunflower. I can’t match any of the sunflower descriptions in our guidebooks with the pattern and exuberance of the clusters. I’m not about to take a long walk through a deep marsh to collect a sample or two. I don’t know anyone with a drone and a macro lens or a five figure telephoto lens I could borrow. Any suggestions on identification of the components of the yellow mass in the pictures below would be welcomed in the comments.

an eye-catching burst of color

Photo by J. Harrington

close-up of the cluster

Photo by J. Harrington

We’re just over a week from the end of meteorological summer. I hope the weather folks have notified Mother Nature. Getting into a seasonable weather arrangement would be a noteworthy improvement. By now, most of the waterfowl that have been through molt should have regrown their feathers, so cooler temps won’t trouble them. I expect to see practice flights beginning any day now, as muscles get developed for autumn migration. And, as long as no one overdoes it, we could use some gentle rains.

In nooks and crannies, we’re noticing a few leaves, here and there, turning color. Acorns and fruits continue to drop from the trees around the house. I’ve not seen the turkeys feeding on them but every day or so the dogs try to inhale much of the yard, so I suspect we’re getting visitors doing some foraging when we’re not looking. I’m more than ready for the change of seasons.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

By Robert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

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