milkweed deed

 A few signs of the changing season...

...but not much yet.

Although our burning bush is becoming glorious...

...most things look about the same.  And we still have so many insects out and about!

goldenrod soldier beetles

eastern bumblebee

grasshopper

inchworm

oleander aphids

sachem

large milkweed bugs

We're especially seeing tons of these milkweed bugs.

They're eating the milkweed seeds that are just emerging from the opening pods.  They're going to start traveling south soon and need the energy.  The milkweed pods have plenty of seed to spare!

There are so many flowers still in bloom.

The days are still pretty warm.  Up to 87 this week...

still plenty of warm spots

...and down to 33 a few days after.  So while I can...windows open, fall baking...

maple pecan scones from Sally's Baking Addiction

...puppy romps...

...and looking forward to the coming color!

fall thrall

It's finally OCTOBER, my favorite month!

Halloween decorations are up (more scattered throughout the house).

Leaves are starting to turn...acorns too!

Fall-themed puzzles are in full force.

I probably have at least 30 flannel shirts and I'm wearing one almost every single day!

(Pepita approves.)

Gorgeous sunrises and sunsets.

My roses only look really great in October, for some reason.

Baking intensifies!  This week, German chocolate cupcakes for a birthday party.

I bake bread every week for my daily toast, and have for years.  The past six months my loaves have gotten worse and worse.  I tried replacing the yeast and still got this:

I replaced the whole wheat flour next, and it made a HUGE difference.  Now that's toast-worthy!

The cats are still sleeping the days away...

We had some temporary plastic tubs on the dining room table and the boys loved them so much, we had to make them permanent!  They prefer them even to their heated cat beds.  

Pepita too.

Warm days, cool evenings with our nightly horror movie, a cat in the lap and a dog snoring on the back edge of the couch...it's the best time of the year!

from our SC house...can't wait until the leaves turn here!  Another couple of weeks.

all paws on deck

 The season is marching on and I love it.  Some leaves are starting to turn!

The trail is lined with White Snakeroot, a sure sign of fall.

Bees, moths, and butterflies are active much later in the morning because of the chill.  You see them clinging to the bottoms of leaves and flowers, waiting for the temperature to rise.

Praying mantises are really active in the fall.  This is a rarely-seen Carolina Mantis, a native to Indiana.  We've tried to cull as many of the invasive Chinese Mantises as possible, since they will actually eat our native mantises.  

terrible cell phone pic

The fall asters are out!

blue wood aster

Acorns, too.

More caterpillars!!

imperial moth caterpillar

mottled prominent caterpillar

This looks like a caterpillar, but it's a sawfly larva.

Fall berries, too!

American spikenard

maple leaf viburnum

There are even some pre-Halloween ghosts out and about!

I'm doing my part.

brown butter maple pumpkin cookies

I'm even putting up Halloween decorations this week, although very slowly because of the pinched nerve in my back.  At least I'm still able to take my daily walk...

Pepita slipping her harness and dashing for the car...again.

The cats are doing the usual.  Helping.

Calliope 'helping' me with yoga

The Barnacle 'helping' me with photography

Frances 'helping' me sort clothes

I appreciate the extra hands...or paws.

Another week, another step closer to my favorite season!