Our autumn is now past its peak. The wind has come through in a rage, taking not just the leaves but some branches and trees as well.
Here, sitting in a Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) is an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe).
Dogwoods are so beautiful all year long. With their leaves gone and the berries still there, that adds up to extra beauty.
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Yesterday at yoga I noticed something high up on the wall, near the ceiling. It looked like a bit of a smudge. I wondered how it got there, but didn’t give it another thought. Today that smudge turned into a moth. A yoga moth, or in the real world, a Dot-Lined White Moth (Artace cribrarius).
Thanks to my teacher’s gentle action, the moth was quickly released to the outside world where it will feel more at home. And speaking of home, they’re native from northern Argentina to the Caribbean into the United States. In the US they’re found in a broad swath of the South and the Mid-Atlantic states. Their host plants are Oaks (Quercus), Cherry (Prunus) and Rose (Rosa).
I wish I had a photograph of the caterpillar to show you as well. The adult moth looks like a fuzzy, stuffed toy of a moth. The caterpillar looks the same way, in a Lhasa Apso sort of way.
Yoga, and another new moth for me.
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American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos). One smart bird. Smart enough to use tools to accomplish tasks. They remember human faces and mimic sounds.
I have conversations with them, although I have no idea what I’m saying since I don’t have knowledge of the language of the Crows. When I do start a conversation with one crow, others seem to gather. Hmmm. Is that a good sign or a bad sign?
Nice to have these birds around.
Friends.
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There was just ONE leaf left on the Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) out by the pond yesterday. This morning. This afternoon, still it held on. Then came the cold front. Dark clouds as sunset approached. Wild winds. And then darkness of the night.
Tomorrow morning autumn leaves will be scattered all over the ground. Leaves that will protect larvae of butterflies and moths from the cold of winter.
I expect one of those leaves will be the one last leaf from the Dogwood out by the pond. Crimson with hints of scarlet, finally falling with the other leaves.
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Soon to let go. Soon to drop to the ground. Soon to be bare branches with buds of flowers at the tips. Flowers to bloom six months from now. All set to go. Just waiting for the perfect time. Time for the blooms of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) to open and delight.
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A common name for this Aster is Blue Wood Aster. It’s not a blue flower but pale purple or lavender. I choose not to use that name but rather another common name, Heartleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium). I’m seeing these precious puffs of lavender all along the gravel road going up the mountain. A perfect accent color for the warm glow of oranges, reds and yellows – leaves that are decorating my world right now.
An added bonus in this photograph, there is a Northern Walking Stick (Diapheromera fermorata) hanging on to the flowers. Walking sticks make me think of dinosaurs, and they are indeed mighty old. They’ve been around for 126 million years.
I hope YOU are enjoying this autumn as much as I am. These colors are inspirational!
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They have been gone now, a bit more than a month. Looking at us through their rearview mirrors. An incredibly beautiful bird of blue, the Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea).
Flying, perhaps with a planisphere under one of its wings, since it flies at night, using the stars to find its way to its destination. Their winter home will be somewhere between the southern tip of Florida and northern South America.
Wishing them a good winter. I will be looking forward to seeing them again next spring. The returning sight of bright blue will bring joy to my heart.
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Since returning from a very difficult trip to Florida just a few days ago my world has been filled to overflowing with wonderful colors. The warm colors. Many shades of yellow, orange and red with a few bits of green left, fighting to survive, and of course those perfect accent hues of purple from light, to bright, to rich and dark, making an appearance here and there.
Whether I’m driving or hiking or just walking with no purpose, it seems I am in a painting of autumn, or perhaps it’s one of my quilts, filled with those warm fall colors that I’m traveling through. Each mile I traverse, each step I take, brings me to another amazing picture waiting to be painted, waiting to be snapped with a camera.
And I had been so concerned about the beauty being hindered by our severe drought which seems to be lasting forever. No such thing has happened, at least not yet.
This autumn is spectacular despite what the changing climate has doled out.
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Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis). Smaller than a Carolina Wren. They enjoy coming to my bird bath to care for their feathers. Seeming to be constantly in motion. Eating small insects and spiders, supplementing their diet with berries in the winter.
A winter resident that doesn’t make its presence obvious. Choosing rather to stay in the bushes, and dense underbrush, hiding from those that might like to see the little critters.
I don’t see them often, just every now and then.
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Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) a tree that I only find further up in the higher elevations where I hike. With the exception of the ones that have been planted here in the vicinity of my cabin. They prefer the cold that the higher elevations provide.
These trees can have a very long life. Two hundred years, three hundred years, maybe even, with luck, four hundred years.
Autumn color from one tree to another is not all the same. The leaves turn various shades of yellow, orange and red. Some branches doing their own thing, turning color well before the rest of the tree.
I admire that. Listening to its own drummer.
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