Fall Flutters

 

Most of the butterflies have flown for the season, but a few still flutter by and enjoy some last sips of nectar from our waning zinnia flowers.

Autumnal Equinox

Here is a sample of the sights around our home on this first day of Autumn.  Leaves are quickly starting to change color into their autumn finery, and the fawns of summer have lost their spots. Their coats look like their mothers now, making it harder to tell them apart since they've also grown so much.  As I was rounding the corner from our back yard to the front, I came across a mother deer with her nearly grown fawn who froze in place before leaping off into the woods.

Sun filters through sassafras tree leaves



Momma deer on the left, her fawn on the right

No flower says "Fall" more than the colorful mum



Black Gum tree, one of the first to turn from green to red

Colorful fall foliage among the bushes

Floral Finalies

Summer is fading fast.  Tree leaves are starting to turn crimson and gold, preparing for their coming show of glorious autumn color.  Showers of acorns continue to rain down from the oak trees and chipmunks and squirrels are busy gathering them for their winter larders. Our summer flowers are vibrantly coming forth in final bursts of bloom and color.  Here is a sample of some of the last that I took photographs of today.

Moon Glow

While tending my gardens today, I looked up and discovered a crescent moon illuminated on one side by sunlight ... a beautiful sight I wanted to share.  The skies are so turquoise blue today, and the wispy white clouds, also lit by the sun, brightened the sky-scape creating an awe inspiring view.

A Walk Outdoors

Forest & ferns

Sandy Run Mountain Stream

Looking up a very tall tulip tree

A gnome home?

Our home

Fun with the sun

Late bloomers

Fuzzy Grasses

It was a lovely day for a stroll outdoors.  Along the way, I took photographs to share my footsteps and the sights I saw here in our mountain hollow.

So Proud

At the end of August, we traveled to Massachusetts to be there as my daughter received a college diploma ... for the 3rd time!  This time, her hard work was poured into earning her MBA from Northeastern University's School of Business.  Amazing job well done, as my daughter works full-time and is co-owner of a dance instruction business, too. So, so proud of her!

Early Signs

Fall is just around the corner.  Although we're still enjoying summery days, the leaves are beginning to show signs of the turn of the seasonal wheel.

Virginia Creeper leaves are turning scarlet red.

 

Birds that will soon migrate to the warmer southern climates to over-winter are in a feeding frenzy to bulk up before their long, arduous flights.  Hummingbirds are continually visiting the last of our garden flowers and sipping away at the sweet nectar to fuel up for their coming journey.

 

Chestnut Oak Acorns

By the vast number of acorns our variety of oak trees are producing, this may be a mast year, when the tasty, nutritious nuts are super abundant ~ good news and good eating for the woodland animals that rely on them during the fall and winter months!