One of the wonderful things about living in the northeast is autumn. Some years it is glorious and some years not so much. This autumn has certainly been different. We’re having our summer in fall! The temperatures have been in the 70s and 80s nearly every day. It’s also been relatively dry, at least compared to this summer. But Mother Nature does put on a show in the fall and we’ve been enjoying what colors there are. I took a walk around our yard and snapped a few photos of some of the colors we have. I also like the textures in the plants and trees.
There was an article in the Sunday newspaper about the “leaf peepers,” tourists who flock to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York to see the fall foliage and how the colors are not terribly exciting this year and that the peepers are disappointed. It seems that the colors are 1-2 weeks behind schedule this year. One reason is because we haven’t had a freeze yet and that is needed for the leaves to turn colors. Also, the sugar maples have been suffering from a terrible fungus called maple tar spot. The leaves develop awful black spots on them and fall off. This fungus is apparently responsible for some of the less than stellar fall foliage colors because it is the maple trees that typically turn a brilliant orange and red. But with so many leaves already fallen, the overall hillside colors are not terribly brilliant this year.
Our sassafras tree was totally golden yellow It was a wonderful bright spot in the backyard and it glowed. We also have lots of sumac and its red and orange leaves give the yard a terrific look.
On the side of the house we have one lovely maple trees. Although it does have signs of the maple tar spot fungus, it has been our most colorful tree.
There are still some blooms around the flower beds, but the most wonderful currently is the Monkshood, also known as wolfsbane and Aconitum. Its color really pops.
Here are some other blooms holding on.
We planted cosmos seeds in a half-barrel. Some critter ate all the buds and chewed the stems down. Christine wasn’t happy as cosmos are one of her favorites. The cosmos stalks are now about 6 feet tall and have lots of buds waiting to pop open. Hopefully we’ll see more blooms before we do get a freeze.
Here are some other things that caught my eye.
One reminder that even though as most plants are ending their lifecycle, there’s one that is working hard to be sure we have lovely blooms in the spring.
So there you have it – a little walk around our yard. So many interesting things to see.
