Month: October 2019

Finally fall—and rain, too!

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Last week’s rain continued to fall after I posted, and we’ve gotten a little more since. We also had a couple of mornings with light frost, and today the wind is blowing. The leaves that are still on the trees seem more colorful every day, and the view of the river is a mosaic of autumn hues with touches of greens. I left early one morning to run errands and had to stop to get this photo of fog on the river.

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The muted reds of the oaks, the brilliant oranges of the maples, and the shining yellow hickories keep me busy with my camera, but it doesn’t capture the actual beauty I see. Last spring’s tragic loss of the 100′ oak tree opened a hole in the canopy, and this hickory has painted it a dazzling yellow.

The deer come as usual to be fed, some days both morning and afternoon! They are waiting for me on days when I am “late” getting home from school. 🙂

Li’l Buck is filling out, and the fawns and does usually run from him, which means he doesn’t have to share.

I don’t have anything more to share today, either. I’ll try to post again soon.

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Glimpses of fall color

Cooler weather finally arrived, and the trees are showing more color. I am hoping the rain falling now will wash off the dust and reveal more color. Yes, it is actually raining as I write this. Whether or not it continues long enough to do much more than wash off the leaves remains to be seen. Recent “showers” have been no more than a few drops. You can see how low the river is.

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We had a light frost, but the marigolds and zinnias in my garden are still blooming, and the butterflies continue to visit. I haven’t seen monarchs in the past few days, but a few passed through after the last post.

Monarch Danaus plexippus
Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae
Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae
Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

I still see my friend the turtle almost every day and take a persimmon or two down to him on every walk. The persimmons are almost gone, and I hope that the rain will loosen the soil enough for him to dig a safe den and hibernate. I saw another turtle last week; I think it was looking for a hibernation place, too.

Closer to home, the deer and turkeys continue to come to eat. The drought has made it difficult for the deer to find food in the woods, and they have been grazing on my “lawn” where I welcome the turkeys that eat the weed seeds. Oh! And one morning I looked out and saw these two big bucks in the meadow. I wonder if they were checking out the “girls” before the rut.

It’s amusing to watch the turkeys. I have no idea what was going on in this video:

As for going, it’s time for me to take the corn and apples down. It’s still raining, but I won’t mind putting on my boots and raincoat!

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Fall!

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Today I saw a dozen or so butterflies (at least some Monarchs) migrating. Butterflies usually seem to flit around when I see them in the garden or on my rambles, but now they are flying with a purpose and are much closer to the treetops than earlier in the year (hence no photos).

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The weather has finally cooled a bit. Friday’s high was 88, and yesterday’s was 68! (Historic average is 71.) Even the “experts” are wondering when/if the fall foliage will arrive. Most trees in the Hollow are still green, especially the oaks and hickories, although leaves on most of the poplars, sycamores, and box elders have turned brown and fallen off. The wind has picked up, and the ground is littered with leaves, twigs, sycamore balls (not as bad as sweet gum balls but still painful to step on in bare feet), acorns, black walnuts, and hickory nuts. (I think the squirrels are responsible for the nut litter.)

Work continues on the new house, and I have felt sorry for the crew working in the sun putting on the roof floor. They should finish in a few days, and the roofers will have cooler weather for their part.

That’s about all that’s been happening in the heat. I’ll let you know what this cooler weather brings. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for rain! 🙂

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