If Only Summer Could Stay ...

 

“It was a lovely afternoon ~ such an afternoon as only September can produce when summer has stolen back for one more day of dream and glamour.”

    ~ L.M. Montgomery

     ~ 1874 ~ 1942

Blue Aster flowers bask in the warm, waning summer sunshine of a beautiful mid-September afternoon at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center at Lehigh Gap, Slatington, Pennsylvania.

 

Blue Aster flowers have large flowerheads that bloom in different shades of blue throughout the summer and early autumn. Their beautiful blue blooms range from light blue to deeper, vibrant dark-purple like blooms. Blue Aster is a popular choice for wildflower, native plant and butterfly gardens.

 

In the shadow of the Kittatinny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain, The Lehigh Gap is a crossroads where the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s trails connect two historic trails ~ the Appalachian Trail and the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail.)

 

The Appalachian Trail, a foot path, follows the ridge on both sides of the Lehigh Gap, running 1,245 miles south to Georgia and 930 miles north to Maine. Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

Beautiful Dreamer ...

“Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,

Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee,

Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,

Lull’d by the moonlight have all passed away …”

  ~ “Beautiful Dreamer”

  ~parlor song by American songwriter

              Stephen Foster

                  ~ 1826-1864

 ~published posthumously in March 1864

  ~ one of Foster’s most memorable ballads & best loved works

  ~ recorded by Bing Crosby in 1940 & various other artists

 ~ Foster, known as “the father of American music,” was an American songwriter known primarily for his parlor music. He wrote more than 200 songs, including “Oh! Susanna,” “Hard Times Come Again No More,” “Camptown Races,” “Old Folks At Home” (“Swanee River”), “My Old Kentucky Home,” “Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Beautiful Dreamer.” Many of his compositions remain popular today. He has been identified as “the most famous songwriter of the nineteenth century” and may be the most recognizable American composer in other countries. His compositions are sometimes referred to as “childhood songs” because they have been included in the music curriculum of early education. Most of his handwritten music manuscripts are lost, but editions issued by publishers of his day can be found in various collections.

An April sunset beckons as a beautiful blossom waits for a nearby bud to wake and bloom on my favorite pink magnolia tree at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Of Honeysuckle Afternoons ...

“What a pity flowers can utter no sound! A singing rose, a whispering violet, a murmuring honeysuckle – oh what a rare and exquisite miracle would these be!”

        ~ Henry Ward Beecher

         ~ 1813-1877 

Coral Honeysuckle brings a shot of colorful beauty to a beautiful late May afternoon at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Coral Honeysuckle – also known as trumpet honeysuckle or scarlet honeysuckle – is a species of honeysuckle native to the eastern United States.

It can grow in many areas due to its hardiness, and is most often grown as a plant for wildlife. Ruby-throated hummingbirds use it in their natural range, as well as other birds, butterflies and bees. It is also grown as an ornamental for its attractive flowers, especially as a native alternative to the invasive Japanese Honeysuckle.

Though Coral Honeysuckle doesn’t have the heady perfume of Japanese Honeysuckle that I love, it’s still a beautiful sight on an afternoon in spring!