Thursday, October 12, 2017

A Second Look--October 12, 2017

or Busy Bees and Other 6-legged Creatures

Fall is officially here according to the calendar and the weather is slowly following along. Overall, we've had warmer than usual temperatures which is okay by me because I'm still trying to catch up on yard work that needs to be done before everything goes dormant. The leaves of some trees are starting to change and others are going straight to the turn brown and drop stage because of lack of rain this fall. With fewer things in bloom now, the bees seem more concentrated on the fall blooming flowers. One of the things I noticed earlier here in the new yard were fewer bees. Now I wonder if I was comparing different seasons in my mind and not realizing it.

Without further ado, here are a few things I saw recently during a Second Look.

We inherited some very healthy mums outside our backdoor and they are giving quite a show.


The bees are enjoying the mums.


As are the moths...


And the flies.


The patio tomatoes are still giving us tomatoes for salads in the evening.


The osteospermum continue to bloom.


As do the ever-faithful marigolds. The bees like them, too. 


But I do not like the European Hornets that are eating the bark off our lilac bushes.


Yesterday morning was dark and dreary and I found this bumblebee sleeping on a purple sage plant.


And close by, I saw a cricket. I'm wondering if this is the one that sounds so loud at night.



Many trees are still green, but some are starting to change colors.


The leaves have already fallen off this pear tree revealing an interesting bird's nest. It's very messy which suggests a sparrow built it, but it doesn't have the coarser material that I've usually seen in sparrows' nests. I'm still waiting on Aunt Martha for an ID.



9 comments:

  1. Cool Photos!
    It is hot here and I am still wearing sleeveless shirts, shorts and flip flops (at least at home)
    Not having pumpkin spice anything here!

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    1. I've been afraid to get a pumpkin to sit on the porch because it's so warm. I was afraid it would rot before Halloween got here. Today has been cooler with temps in the 60's but it is supposed to be back at 80 this weekend.

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  2. Those mums are lovely! And I love to see trees changing color, although we don't have many of them, here.

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    1. You compensate for not having many trees that change colors by having ones that bloom this time of year. They are also equally beautiful.

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  3. Our weather is cooling down (no more 80s) but still unusually warm for this time of year. The color doesn't seem as brilliant to me this fall--maybe because until the past week or so, we had drought conditions. Looks like you are enjoying your fall flowers!

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    1. Like everything else, some years are very good for fall colors and some years aren't. I think this may be an off year. However, black walnuts are everywhere. It's a good year for them. Too bad, I don't like them.

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  4. Lovely, still warm, humid and rainy here. How often do you water the tomato plants and what size container are they living in?Someone gifted me a packet of seeds that I need to plant. Beautiful colors, and I am always happy to see bees.

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    1. I have the tomato plant in a pretty big pot--maybe 15" across. However, it is a patio tomato that never got more than a foot tall. I'm not sure the pot had to be that big. I didn't have a regular schedule for watering. Tomatoes like to be kept moist, but not too wet. I don't know about growing tomatoes in a warm climate, however when people start them from seeds around here, it's usually during winter and indoors to give them a head start because it has to be fairly warm before they can be set outside.

      Tomatoes in containers can be tricky to keep the water and mineral balance right. I've had mixed results in this area. Good luck. Starting seeds is always fun.

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  5. The blooms are beautiful. I am going to miss them when they fade completely away for winter. Our foliage is still green, too. The weather has been too dry and the leaves that changed early are now off, so we have a lot of skimpy covered trees. I don't reckon we'll have a nice show of autumn color this late in the games. We haven't had a good show in years. *sigh* Oh well...I certainly enjoyed the warmth and homey feel of your post. :)

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What do you think?