On Saturday afternoon, I drove to Maryland to capture once again the joy of seeing a field of yellow sunshine. There's no way anybody can be miserable standing in a field surrounded by the happy golden faces of sunflowers. I'd been here two years previously but wanted better photos than the ones I'd taken before.
The field was nearly empty apart from goldfinches darting back and forth and a million bees buzzing, and then a couple walked past and started chatting. I discovered I was talking to Barbara Saffir whose Road Trip article in the Sunday Post had enticed me to these fields two years earlier. This is her Road Trip link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/columns/roadtrip/maps/trip07162006.pdf
She kindly took this photo of me and also suggested some other places of natural interest to visit.
I found out much later that although these fields are a source of enjoyment and wonder for nature lovers, smashed remnants of skeets scattered on the ground suggest the true reason for the existence of this sunshine patch. Apparently once the seeds on the flowerheads have matured, it seems pigeons and other such birds are released to feed on the flowers and become targets for a rural sport. A sad end to a field of beauty.
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