turk lurk and nearby fungi

 More signs of the time!  Everything is going to seed, like these Chinese Lanterns.  I don't remember planting them, but I've got such an unmanageable jungle that who knows what might be growing there?

I love that the seeds sit in these delicate lace cages.

The front bushes are beginning to blush...

...and so are my Limelight hydrangeas.  Taking on this pink cast means that they're finally ready to be picked and dried!

This light color is echoed in my Autumn Joy sedum...

...and in Lady's Thumb, an annual weed resembling heather.  

This is spider season, too.  Every morning there are delicate works of art spun on every available surface...

...and they're blown away by midday.  Spin, eat, sleep, repeat!

September means APPLES!  Most of the apples are finally ripe.  They're pretty tiny...

...and they're all infected with both sooty blotch and flyspeck, types of fungi that would also make fantastic future cat names!  :)

The "bruised" patches are sooty blotch.  

Those gorgeous whorls of dots are the flyspeck fungus.

Apples have a protective layer of natural wax.  The fungi live in this wax and "drink" any apple juices that bleed through the skin.  It sounds disgusting, but the apples are perfectly safe to eat.  Braver souls can eat the skin itself, but those who quail at the thought of ingesting live fungi can just remove the peel.  The fungi does not penetrate the skin...and the apple are delicious!  We're leaving plenty on the ground for the deer, and are not even considering the treatment for this issue, which is chemical sprays.

The turkeys are out almost daily, bulking up for winter. From my office window, I can see group of up to 20 congregating in the back fields!

Geese are out, too, with their distinctive fall "honk! honk!"s.  They rest in the field from time to time before continuing on their way.

Todd's hungry groundhog is always out, too, with his pre-winter activities.

I'm also heeding these signs, thinking of organizing and getting my own little nest ready for the long winter.  I'm frogging failed knitting projects...

(heavily modified sweater that was mysteriously taking on alarming proportions)

...and putting away successful ones, like this wool hat for Todd.

Tabitha watches and approves of my diligence.

Hey, it's going to be 92 degrees today.  But it's nearly the middle of September, and I know that real fall weather is just around the corner.

Have a great week!