Summer Lovin’ Bovines

On my drive home today, this herd of cattle grazing in the high summer grasses caught my eye. Their bodies glistened bronze gold and coal blue in the evening light.

cattle herd in summer pasture

I pulled my car to the side of the road and got out, camera in hand. The only sound around me was the rustling of dry grasses as the animals slowly moved through the field grabbing mouthfuls of grass along the way. Every once in a while, I could hear tails swishing through the air, a useless attempt to chase away clouds of flies.

As I watched these animals which I usually consider smelly, boring and dumb, I realized for the first time that they seemed to have slightly different styles and personalities (don’t tell a cattle farmer I said this and don’t laugh if you have cows yourself).

Dare I say that this one looks kind of handsome with a sweet disposition?

And this one liked to twist and turn, still full of the abundant energy of the young:

But the biggest surprise of it all? Cows eat thistles! I always thought only goats and maybe sheep will chow down on that thorny plant and that cows only like the nice smooth, green grass below. Well, take a look at this:

Oh, and believe it or not, another cow munched on Queen Anne’s Lace, the wildflower I highlighted in my first Summer Lovin’ post!

This is my second post in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge: Summer Lovin’.