5+ Months Summarized

It’s been a long, long time since my last post; here’s a brief summary of the last five months or so:

The seasons were beginning to change when I last posted. Then summer flowers faded, Monarchs (and other butterflies) migrated, and fall blossoms bloomed.

The chlorophyll in the leaves of trees and shrubs declined, and the glorious fall colors emerged.

Although the blogging paused, my rambles continued. I enjoyed noting how the Hollow changes with the weather and the seasons. And you may remember that I’m interested in the fungi, as well as the flora and fauna I encountered along the way.

I often saw deer as I rambled.

And, of course, I watched “my” deer in the meadow. The fawns grew and lost their spots, the bucks lost the velvet on their antlers, and Big Mama and Johnnie continued to demand apples at the basement door. Some friends “critter-sat” when I visited my mom in November, and Martha was thrilled to have Johnnie take an apple from her hand.

Late fall ushered in breeding/hunting season, and several big bucks visited the meadow. Breaking an antler didn’t seem to slow the buck I called”Mr. Uno”!

One of the fawns born very late in the year has a funny-looking coat. (His mama had a large wart hanging from her abdomen, and I wonder if it affected his development.) It shouldn’t surprise you to know that I have paid special attention to “Itsy” and make sure he gets a chance to eat. I worried about him over Christmas when the wind chill was well below zero and was relieved when he showed up the next day.

He even comes when I call!

So that’s a very brief summary of the past five months of my rambles in French Broad Hollow. In order to get this posted, I haven’t taken the time to identify the flora and fungi; I may go back and do so later. In the meantime, I hope to post another update before too long.