Whatever Weather

March has been busy bouncing around from winter weather to spring.

Here's what it looked like on March 5:

 And here is what it looked like on March 6:

And I didn't get pictures of the WIND that we have had since then!

Getting Ready

Everything gets ready for Spring in its own way.

 Can you see how this vine is getting ready?

On a cool Winter morning the sun is warming the plant.

A little breeze is blowing.

 The rough dark seed pods are bursting open. Out pops feathery fluff from inside. 

The fluff starts to blow away in the breeze.

There is a tiny dark spot at the bottom of each bit of fluff.

That dark spot is a seed.

The wind takes the fluff, the fluff takes the seed, and when the wind drops the fluff the seed is planted.

The clever vine is sending out its seeds now when there are good strong winds to carry them and no leaves on the trees to stop them. 

When it is really Spring and the ground is warm those seeds will grow into vines like this all over the neighborhood.

Not even December

I know it isn't really official Winter yet, but I am going to count today as the beginning of Winter.

It's the first snowfall of the year.

More than red

Did I say the Oak's red was a bit brownish this year?I just was too early for the full display.
That's a fine red!
Of course not everything is red.

There are some excellent yellows and oranges too.

The Best Red?

Every Fall when the leaves turn colors I look for the reddest red.Is it the Maple red?

Maple red is a bright red this year.

Is it Oak red?
The Oak red is a little more brownish this year.

Is it Sumac red?

Sumac leaves are brilliant this year.

Maybe it isn't even a tree red.

Maybe it is Virginia Creeper red.

Which red do you think is the best red?

October Stained Glass

The sky is clear and a deep blue.



Between me and the sky is the pergola and the grape vine.

As I look up at the patterns and colors above me I think about stained glass windows.

Wouldn't these make wonderful ones?

Grab your camera! (Unless you're a dog)

It is that time of year again! Everywhere leaves are changing color.
It is time to look up!
Time to take lots of pictures of leaves.

Just see how beautiful the trees are!

Of course not everyone is so taken with the fall colors...

Socks, for instance.

" uh...excuse me...you're kidding, right?

It's still all gray, isn't it?"

A Chilly Awakening

Someone is sitting very quietly, very still, right outside the front door.

It is early in the morning.

The faint winter sun is just touching her shoulders.

"Oh dear" thinks Chipmunk. "Did I get up too soon?"
"I thought it was going to be warmer out here!"

"So where's the Spring I came out for anyway?"

Survivors

Last Fall, when the weather began to get cold, I took pots of plants inside to be warm during the winter. Some of them sat in the bedroom window where the sun comes in. Some of them sat in the breezeway where not so much sun comes in.

Now it's getting warm, even at night, and the plants can go back outside. Some of them didn't survive the winter even inside in the warmth.
Some survived.

Some of them are only a shadow of their last summer selves.

and a few look just as fine as they did last year.
And now I can clean up the breezeway and the bedroom!

The First Leaves Fall

What are those bits of bright red on the ground? No, no, it can't be that leaves are turning already. It is not Fall yet! It is still Summer until next Tuesday.

I guess the Sumac tree didn't look at the calendar.

A hint of purple

Brrrrr. The sun is shining but it's still shivery out. The bird bath is frozen.I'm looking beyond the ice into the dry grass - do I see something purple?
I do! It is the first early crocus!

New Year

It's a new month and a new year and Winter is back. I guess the holiday is over.

Cold Blue Heron

Hey! What are you doing here in December, Blue Heron?The pond is all iced over and the frogs are sleeping down in the mud.

What are you going to eat now?

I think you had better move on south before it really snows.

December begins

December brings the end of Fall.

Next comes Winter.

Winter is the season for snow and cold weather, so it was not surprising that snow began to fall this weekend.

It isn't much snow - just a dusting on the grass and a lining on the branches. Sparkly bits of snow are floating in the air.

Brrrrrr!

I had better get out my boots. Where is my scarf? Has anyone seen the other one of my pair of mittens? Time to get ready for cold weather!

I told you so

Just look at that silly Magnolia tree.

It was trying to hang on to its green leaves.

One cold night or two...and PHOMP!

All the leaves fell off.

I told you so.

Fall leaves

Some of the trees have dropped almost all their leaves.Their branches look bare.Some of the trees are just now showing their colors.
The oak is red and purple. The maple behind it is yellow.

And the sassafras is brilliant with red-orange and yellow.

But the stubborn magnolia tree is still green. It thinks it lives somewhere else, somewhere where it is not yet Fall.

Silly tree.

Soon it will get too cold for those leaves and they will all turn brown and fall off overnight.

Getting Colder

This morning the grass crunched under my feet. There was frost outlining everything. And I saw the very first icicle of the year.

Now it's Fall

Summer is over today.

Today is the very first day of Fall. What do you think we'll see in Fall?

Too soon

What is this? It can't be leaves turning red already! It is!

That Sumac tree just has to hurry Autumn along.

House cleaning

It's time to clean houses! Not just one house - all the bird houses.

We need to take the old nests out of the bird boxes so the birds can build new ones.

If you look inside the hole, you can tell that this box is pretty full.
How can we clean it out? We'll take off the side.
Just look at that nest!
There are lots of houses on the fence. We have to clean them all out.
We're going to put a new one up in this tree.
There it is - ready for a little bird to move in.

Of course, some birds make their own houses. Who do you think will live in this hole?