tick magnet

 Still seeing multiple rabbits a day here!

Some really gorgeous moths lately, too.

clymene moth

stinging rose moth

tulip tree beauty moth

And my first caterpillar!  Looking forward to a caterpillar bounty this fall.

yellow woolly bear caterpillar

The garden is looking great, somehow!  Normally I have a lot of weedy-looking celosia, but the deer are so plentiful this year that they've mowed them all down.  All I have left are the things that deer don't really eat...like this beautiful perennial purple verbena bonariensis.

Coneflowers are going strong, too.

Nice to have reliable perennials coming up, like russian sage and yarrow.

We've been able to resume our walks in the main part of the state forest but wow, the damage is crazy!

Even with downed trees, the little lake is so pretty.

Still dealing with the usual pests...

lone star tick pulled from Pepita

...but overall, it's been smooth sailing around here.  At 99 days accident-free, Pepita has earned access to a new room...with a rug!

With hot, humid days, she spends a lot of time napping.

...as well as her kitten cousins!

Hoping for a break in the humidity next week.  I'd love to spend a little more time outdoors!

with a flannel yell...

 It's happening!

As the temperatures steadily drop, we're seeing more and more gorgeous color here.  Just last week, our trees were still fairly unchanged.  The grass remains green and the sky has been more blue and cloud-filled than ever...

...but we're now getting color, color, color!

Borga loves a fall hike.

Lots to see.  Hornet nest!

Autumn-colored fungus!

Skinks!

At home, we're still seeing lots of creatures too.  As I sloooooowly clear out garden weeds...

I'm seeing mantis...after mantis...after mantis!

I found three mantises...and three oothecas (egg sacs)...in one afternoon!

Mantis eggs will be consumed by ants if left on the ground, so I carefully placed the accidentally uprooted ones into a bush.  If all goes well, we'll have plenty of these little guys around next year!

Our apples are still viable and attracting lots of attention...

...pumpkins still ripening on the vine...

...and we're not even close to needing more than a flannel shirt for outside time.  It was 63 degrees yesterday!

Fresh air, brisk walks, apple pie, color-saturated leaves, and cats in quilts...

Happy fall, y'all!  

the gold standard

The trees are finally putting on their fall attire...just like Borga!

It was just a week or so ago that we barely had a touch of color at our house.

But now...wow!  We are nestled in a clearing of Morgan-Monroe State Forest, so we've got color on all sides.  Our street is absolutely gorgeous!

Even our pond cattails are tipped in gold.

We've been too busy and distracted for our normal fall hiking, but we took some time out a few days ago to stretch our legs.  Morgan-Monroe Forest is so close...there's really no excuse not to take advantage of it.  So...much...color!

All this color, and it's still been mild enough for just a sweatshirt.  Perfect weather for enjoying sunny days and gorgeous sunsets!

Ahhhhh...fall.