Fall Finds

 

White Oak



Chestnut Oak Leaves and Acorns

Fall is upon us with its lush and vibrant colors. The weather here the past few days has been glorious ~ sunny, crisp, and sparkly!  The leaves on our white oak tree are turning sumptuous shades of red this season.  I collected a few chestnut oak acorns that are also bright and colorful prior to turning solid brown.  They are pictured along with a sample of chestnut oak leaves, golden before turning a deep tan.  The most exciting find of the day was a huge patch of orange fungi growing alongside and over the top of an old stump ... quite a sight to see!



Orange Fungi Outcrop

 

 

 

Good to be Back!

Hello again!  It was almost this time last year that I signed off to focus on health issues.  I'm happy to report that after extensive chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation treatments, I'm in remission from cancer and doing well.  A huge relief!!!  So, welcome back to my blog.  I hope you will enjoy the photographs and artwork I'll post from time to time, as well as my nature notes and ponderings on life.  Fall is such a colorful season and it seemed like a great time to start anew with my blogging.

We've been seeing quite a few praying mantis' on the prowl, always on the lookout for their next meal.  The one above was laying in wait in one of my brightly hued coleus plants.  We discovered they like to eat stink bugs, which is a big plus.  Invasive stink bugs have become a major pest invading our vegetable gardens and entering our house when the weather gets cool outside.  We need all the help we can get to eradicate them, so anything that will eat them is a welcome sight!

The bees are still buzzing about collecting the last bits of nectar from late blooming flowers.  The bee in the photograph above relished the last of the Mexican Blanket blooms in my garden.  He was so busy that he didn't seem to notice or mind that his picture was being taken!

 

Although I didn't get any photographs of them this year, I'm happy to report that we observed multiple sightings of migrating Monarch Butterflies earlier this fall.  Their bold orange wings flashed in striking contrast across bright blue skies, as they fluttered above our heads.  I collected seed pods from some roadside milkweed plants, host plant for the monarch, and I plan to dry and distribute the seeds where they'll  have a chance to grow well and ultimately nourish future generations of this magnificent and beautiful butterfly.

 

For those of you who previously enjoyed my blog and are return visitors and for those of you who newly chance upon it, welcome! 

 

PS: Parting Shot

 

My hair has thinned, but, as of this photograph my husband Kevin took this afternoon, I still had hair.  I've already undergone my first chemotherapy treatment for Stage IIIB breast cancer.

 

Another fight for life has begun.  I feel like a warhorse having already been through the kidney transplant and previous major medical issues.  Confronting cancer is just the latest battle.  Finding out about the cancer initially blindsided us, but there really wasn't that much time to stop and let fear gain a foothold.  I am so fortunate ~ my forever loyal and devoted husband, my generous and spirited daughter, and my good friends lend me strength and inspiration and even keep me laughing through the harder times. 

 

This will be my final blog. My focus needs to be health, family, close friends, and centering.  

I've truly enjoyed sharing with all of you who have come across "my little corner of the Internet."

 

My message, my "point to ponder," remains constant ~ Live life peacefully, be loving and kind, and continue to treasure the everyday beauty that abounds in nature.

 

Keep looking up ...

Susan

    

Blog Break

We're still seeing some late migrating butterflies.  I saw this Comma Butterfly just a few days ago. It rested and sunned its wings on our back steps, long enough so that I could take the photograph above to remember her by and share with you.  Notice the notch under each front wing resembling the comma symbol.  This was a first time sighting for me.  I'd seen a Question Mark Butterfly a few years earlier, but this was my first Comma :)

 

I thought a post about the Comma was a fitting post to serve as a pause to my blog.  Life has thrown us an unexpected turn of events, and I may not be as frequent a contributor to my blog in the coming days.  Then again, I may be back posting my thoughts and sharing nature's beauty through my photos sooner than I anticipate ... but for now... , 

May you always find peace and beauty in the world of nature. 

Roll Out the Red Carpet

Fall is just beginning to show its colors in the Catoctin Mountains.  The crimson red leaves of the Black gum tree herald the beginning of the parade of colors.  Red is the dominant hue to start off the grand show.

 Honeysuckle berries are a vibrant red, too.

 

The Virginia Creeper vine is a bright scarlet.

Even the late blooming roses add a red blush.

 

Today, I collected a bouquet of autumn leaves with a cornucopia of different colors. Soon, the woods will come alive with not only reds, but bright, golden yellows, oranges, and all shades of tan and brown ~ a burst of autumn brights before the subtle grays of winter. 

 

Fall Colors from Summer Veggies

Our summer vegetable garden provided a cornucopia of color (minus the cornucopia) as you can see in the photograph above! We are so pleased to have so many delicious peppers and tomatoes to add to and spice up our meals. Unfortunately, our bountiful green and yellow bean plants got mowed down by a hungry white tailed deer that came like a bandit in the night and gnawed the plants down to nubs.  At least we were able to enjoy quite a few of the beans for dinner already. I was also able to blanche and freeze a couple of batches, too, which we will savor on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

It was so nice that my initial gardening efforts at our new home were so bountiful.  None of the wildlife seem to like tomatoes or peppers, so we will enjoy them until the first frost later this year.

Monarch Sightings

 

I'm so happy to report several Monarch Butterfly sightings already this August.  Late summer is generally the time they start to migrate through our area on their way to warmer climates where they'll stay for the winter.  Last year, I didn't see a single Monarch.  Due to herbicide and pesticide use as well as habitat destruction and eradication of their favorite host plant, the milkweed, their numbers have dwindled dramatically.  The Monarchs love our butterfly bushes and stay for lengthy periods, stocking up on the sweet nectar from the tiny purple flowers.

 

 

The Monarch always has the company of many other butterflies as it feeds.  In the photographs to follow, you can see a couple of the other butterfly bush feeders.

 

Tiger Swallowtail

 

Silvery Checkerspot

 

We also have a white flowered butterfly bush. It's favored by the black swallowtail butterflies which frequent it the most.  It's a real joy to watch these graceful winged beauties!