Month: November 2018

11-24-18

11-25-18

11-26-18

11-27-18

Deer season in this part of North Carolina goes from November 19 to December 8. (That’s the gun season; blackpowder season was in October, and archery has several periods before and after gun season.) Fortunately, no one in the Hollow hunts, but I often hear gunshots from adjacent areas and across the river. You can imagine how I worry about the little herd I feed, and I always tell them to stay close. 🙂

This is a good time of the year to see deer, as it is breeding season, and they are very active. It’s rut season for the bucks, and I’ve seen them chasing each other and does. This keeps the does moving, too, unless they are ready to mate. I’ve been seeing them a lot on my rambles in the Hollow. As you can tell, some are not very concerned when I walk by (video), and one even followed me (video) and then waited in the meadow for dinner!

I’ve also seen (and heard) bucks on my walk and in the woods near the house. Sometimes the does seem to hide from the buck as he tries to find them. Here’s a short video of one trying to find where she hid. V-Boy (below right), the buck fawn from last year, even paid a visit in the driveway; it was the first I’d seen him in over a month.

V-Boy 10-7-18

The buck who’s been making the most appearances is the one pictured at the top of the post; I call him Mr. Majestic. I’ve seen him (I think) in past years, but he has been visiting a lot this year. (That’s another large buck in the photos above.) He ran off when I saw him on the meadow last week, but he has been showing up at feeding time for the last few days. That is, of course, when there are plenty of potential mates around! He doesn’t hesitate to let me know that he doesn’t like having me around. Watch here! Today he ran off, crossed the road, then circled back to approach from the other side.

He and the other big buck and a doe went by in the woods behind the house a little while ago, but I couldn’t get a good photo (although I stood in the cold for a while trying). Guess this will have to do for now.

11-24-18

11-25-18

11-26-18

11-27-18

We had a heavy frost since my last post, and the marigolds are now brown and crumpled over (nothing I want a photo of). I’ll leave some of them where they lie so the birds can eat the seeds, and I’ll throw some up the bank and hope the seeds sprout there in the spring.

The cold, combined with wind and more rain, has made for some miserable weather, and I have been walking later in the day, even on sunny days. (The photos at the end of the post show the weather differences better than these of the river.)

11-13-18

11-14-18

11-15-18

11-16-18

11-17-18

11-18-18

11-19-18

11-20-18

Despite the rain and wind, we’ve had some beautiful days that showcased some of the trees that have retained their leaves. Some of leaves still have multiple colors, like the oak leaves below.

I haven’t seen many woolly bears this year, and they are not at all consistent in their weather forecasts (much like the human meteorologists!).

9-30-18

11-16-18

11-18-18

I substitute taught a few times and visited friends for Thanksgiving, so I’ve missed a few rambles. Of course, I made sure the deer and turkeys were fed while I was gone. If you saw these deer staring and waiting, wouldn’t you?

I have more days of substituting and visiting in the near future but expect to keep up with my rambles. Who knows what I’ll see before the next post?

11-13-18

11-15-18

11-16-18

11-17-18

11-18-18

11-19-18

11-20-18

Before I retired and moved to French Broad Hollow, when people complained about the weather, I would respond. “At least it’s not 40° and raining.” Well, today it’s 38° and raining, and it looks like the weather won’t change much for the rest of the day. It started raining about sunrise, and we’d already gotten over .5″ before noon. I sometimes walk in the rain, but I’m taking a day off today. 🙂

11-3-18

11-4-18

11-5-18

11-6-228

11-7-18

11-8-18

11-9-18

11-10-18

11-11-18

We’ve had some other rainy days since my last post—and we had our first hard freeze; it was in the low 20s when I got up Sunday morning. Until then, the marigolds were still blooming and being visited by butterflies (including Monarchs and this checkerspot that rested on the laundry basket), but I think their cheery blossoms are gone for the year. At least I have the violas on the deck to add some color.

Nature’s fall colors peaked in the Hollow about a week ago, then—seemingly overnight—the roads and trails were covered in fallen leaves that quickly turned brown.

The American beech tree (Fagus grandifolia) is one of my favorites, and they are plentiful near my house. Their colors remain vivid longer than most of the other trees. Even after the leaves are brown, they cling to the tree until spring. Here is an interesting link to a post by Sharon Mammoser about beech trees. I love the hickory trees along my driveway, too.

I doubt I’ll be posting many more photos of tree foliage any time soon, but expect more of deer and turkeys! More of this year’s fawns show up to eat, and now I often find turkeys AND deer waiting for me to head down to feed. Here is a video of them showing me the way and another of feeding time. (You can hear the turkeys pecking the corn in the pans.)

They’re not visible yet today in this rain, but I have no doubt some will show up when I head down to feed, as I will before long, regardless of the weather!

11-4-18

11-5-18

11-6-18

11-7-18

11-8-18

11-9-18

11-10-18

11-11-18 (Yes, it is almost identical to 11-10, but it’s not!)

We’ve had colder nights, rain, sun, and wind, but no frost or snow yet. The river was up for a few days, and you can see the trees changing colors.

10-27-18

10-28-18

10-29-18

10-30-18

10-31-18

11-1-18

11-2-18

It seems like the colors on the trees have exploded in the last few days, and I’ve had some breath-taking rambles. I only wish the photos would show fully how beautiful the colors are and how glorious it feels to walk through the Hollow this time of year, whether it’s cloudy or sunny. Here’s a video of what I’ve been seeing.

The warm weather seems to have confused the invertebrate world. I often see butterflies on my rambles (but they have been too quick for a photo), and the marigolds and zinnias still blooming in the garden attract fritillaries and a straggler monarchs. This garden spider (Argiope aurantia) made her web near my back door, and I have been feeding her stinkbugs when I catch them. I know she’ll be gone one morning, and I’ll miss seeing her.

Monarch

Fritillary

The rain resulted in a few mushrooms; these are growing on a log near my compost bin. I have no idea what kind they are, but they are almost as large as a dinner plate.

The deer and turkeys continue to show up regularly, and sometimes lately there are deer waiting for me when I open the basement door!

The field and trees over the ridge are changing, too. Maybe it will all be covered in frost when I post again…