Cold Nights.

8-28-09 VERMONT: The last couple of nights have been in the forties, the sun is noticeably lower in the sky and sets earlier. Summer is fading. Yesterday the grass had finally dried out enough to completely mow for the first time this season. There have been no new septic system events.

I walked the pasture with RoundUp to kill thistles, burdock and nettles, some of which had already gone to seed. I should done this a month ago. All the rain has left us with golden rod, mint and thistle that is five or six feet tall. The pasture is loaded with nettles, burrs, thorns, stickers, thistles, prickers and other nasties. We will need a mowing this fall for sure. I treated the pond with barley straw again. It slowly decomposes on the bottom, releasing small amounts of peroxide that kill algae but not fish or other pond critters.

I saw what I thought was a dandelion out front yesterday morning. When I got a closer look, it was a sun flower, a six inch sunflower under the spot where the bird feeders had been.

New blooms: miniature sun flower.

Tiny, volunteer sun flower. The blades of grass indicate size scale.