birds of a feather...

Despite the drought (I don't think we've had any rain in September OR October, other than a 2-day deluge from Hurricane Helene), our fall weather is outstanding.  Sunny and mid-70s every day.

Lots of dew in the mornings.

Because days are warm and nights are cool, the fog on our morning walks is GORGEOUS.

Because it's still warm, we have plenty of flowers...and insects.  These invasive Chinese mantises are everywhere...

...and pregnant.

I'm gathering up handfuls of oothecas (mantis egg cases).

Lots of caterpillars this fall, like this salt marsh caterpillar.

Claudia is LOVING the extended fall.

We're STILL harvesting tomatoes, and some flowers still have a little bit of color, until the frost comes.

Halloween decorations went up a couple of weeks ago...

(many more, but for some reason I didn't photograph them...)

...and I've pulled out the quilts, even though it doesn't feel quite warm enough for them yet.  For us, anyway.  

I've noticed that the behavior of our outdoor animals is changing, though.  Raccoons, which have been solitary all summer, have paired up.

Deer, too, are starting to exhibit pack behavior.

Meanwhile, we're probably going to see the last of the turkeys soon.  Our little flock of 12-14 poults has shrunk to five in just a couple of months.

They'll disappear into the woods soon for the winter.  We, too, are ready to hunker down for winter, although it feels far away during this sunny, mild fall. 

Have a great week!  

toothless men and a turkey hen

 Is it the "cat days" of early summer?

Maybe!  The bramble flowers have dropped and fruit is setting up.

On our apple tree, too!

The brief window for peonies is here.  The windows are always open and we can smell them from the yard, and of course I bring them inside!

Todd has started his yearly ritual of getting a little exercise every few days by mowing sections of the field.  

New young pine cones are setting up for the season...

Sugar snap peas are popping...

...and speaking of "popping," my Sissinghurst poppies are starting to open!  I almost like them better as closed pods.  They remind me of a toothless old man!  So much character.  :)  The flowers themselves are so delicate and fleeting, but I enjoy the leaves and pods for weeks.

Hot days and cool nights bring amazing morning fog.

The porch spiderwebs are bejeweled...

...and morning walks are magical.

I regularly hear turkeys gobbling in the mornings, and see them sometimes, too!

Others are out scouting around, like the southern yellowjacket queen, looking for a good place to start a nest.  Not in our mulch pile, please!

Pollinators are out and about...

Lassioglossum sweat bee

tarnished plant bug

paper wasp

Future pollinators too, like this Painted Lady caterpillar, starting to pupate!  

It's an exciting time of year, one of my favorites.  I wake up early...really early.  I open the windows by 5 a.m.  The frogs sing loudly until about 5:45 a.m., and then the birds start.  Sometimes I go out on the porch.  The garden by the porch is in full bloom...

Owls are hooting in the forest and turkeys gobbling faintly in the field.  If I sit in the porch swing, the little song sparrows that live in the side garden start to sing, just a few feet away.  Claudia is rubbing against my ankles...the porch is her domain.  I feel like I'm in a Disney cartoon sometimes!

It's so peaceful here, even though this is a really busy season for us.  We're working hard now to get things done, so that in the heat of summer, we can relax.  

Have a great week!  

collar choler

A couple of weeks ago, we had some amazingly cold weather.  

eerie and frigid sunrise

Below zero at night and barely above during the day.  Claudia was comfortably ensconced in our heated barn, and we were careful to keep the bird feeders filled.  Some lovely visitors...so puffed up against the cold!

dark-eyed junco

song sparrow

European starling

pileated woodpecker

blue jay

northern flicker

Everyone shared, with just a little grumbling!

red-bellied woodpecker pair

Then rain and fog...

...and now it's warmed up enough to do a little hiking!  Any morning that it's above 20 degrees, we're on the trail for a twenty minute walk...but on really nice days, we go a little longer.  Last week, we hiked for an hour.  Borga, however, is not the intrepid hiker that she used to be.  Now she frequently sulks and slips her collar...

...and stubbornly refuses to walk through water at all.

Maybe she'll be more interested as the weather gets warmer.  Right now, only the cats are enjoying the benefits of the chilly sunshine!

Have a great week!