Labor Day has come and gone and summer is winding down.  There are hints of Fall in the air.  This past week I took a couple of early evening walks at the Garden. The temperature was cool and the light beautiful. I was reminded that Fall is approaching and the days are getting shorter when I walked through the Visitor's Center at 7:00 p.m. one night and heard the person at the desk say to someone, "the Garden closes in 45 minutes at sunset." All summer we have had the luxury of staying at the Garden as late as 9:00 p.m.  Despite the signs that Fall is approaching, the summer gardens are at their glory - lush and beautiful, filled with butterflies and bees.  I am trying to savor every last bit of summer and all its flowers because I know it is only a matter of days/weeks until the summer gardens will be pulled out and the Fall gardens installed.  I do love Fall but it is always bittersweet to say goodbye to summer.

The Crescent Garden is especially beautiful right now.  

I have taken so many photographs of zinnias and dahlias this summer.  They have been especially beautiful this year.  I love photographing them from all different angles.  A few of these I posted on my 365 project blog because the patterns and textures were so striking. There is a colorful mix of zinnias called 'Candy Scabiosa Mix' planted in the center of the Circle Garden surrounding the fountain and I particularly love photographing this type of zinnia. This white zinnia is among them and I captured it in the glow of early evening light.

And this one was bent at the stalk and turned upside down revealing it's unique patterns.

Perfect little dew drops on this dahlia were the result of getting to the Garden early one cool morning.

A Dahlia in the Bulb Garden soaking up the last bit of sun in the evening.

A colorful dahlia in the English Walled Garden.

Another sign that summer is over is the closing of the Butterflies and Blooms exhibit.  I enjoyed visiting this exhibit almost every week this summer and helping the staff document all the butterflies.  I was able to make one last visit before I left on vacation in late August.  Congratulations to the the Garden on another successful year with the exhibit.  I will certainly look forward to its reopening next summer!

A Large Tiger Butterfly - I especially love the yellow tips on its antennae.

Large Tiger

An Emperor Swallowtail

Emperor Swallowtail