Each year here in the Midwest, I look forward to certain wonders that mark the progression of the summer months. The season is filled with lovely treats that are special to summer alone: fresh blueberries and hydrangea blooms, watermelon and zinnias, peaches and sunflowers. Delights for the eye and the palate, here–and gone–in a flash.

Sunflower season is a sort of bookmark between summer and the beginning of autumn. The arrival of these sunny delights signals the end of summer, so it is both bitter and sweet to see them each year.

And though one sunflower field may be similar to another (and another, and another), the lure of those golden fields stays strong.

If you’re wary of bees, it may not be your favorite place to wander; almost every open bloom had a bee, or two, (or three!) busily gathering pollen. Once you realize they are focused on the flowers, and not humans, it’s easier to relax.

I’d be hard pressed to say that photos I’ve taken this year are substantially different than those I took ten years ago, but still, the beauty beckons and the desire to capture it remains. Striding through the field, searching for the perfect blossoms, noticing the light and the way the flowers follow it…these things draw me in time and time again.

This visit, I even remembered to bring one of my Polaroid cameras. I’ve neglected instant film this year (I’m not really sure why) but I knew the brightly-lit field would be perfect for the 100 speed peel-apart film in my Polaroid 250. How happy it made me to get a couple of good images!

And now we turn the corner, saying good-bye to summer and these fields, awaiting the gifts of the next season. I’m always a little sad to watch summer slip away, but I trust that the memories of these golden days will carry me through until they arrive once again, right on schedule.

~Leslie