While a few trees are hanging onto some of their leaves, most are bare now. A couple days of rain and strong winds bought most of the remaining ones down this week. The squirrels are scampering about usually with a nut in their mouths and the deer are spending more time in the upper part of the yard. Sometimes I see a herd of them taking a nap in the sun.
A few fall flowers are continuing to bloom and a handful of things have sprouted new growth like its spring. It's fun to see a spot of vibrant green here and there among the brown leaves. While morning frosts are common now, no snow yet.
Here are a few things I saw this week
during a Second Look.
 |
| Pansies |
 |
| Maple tree |
 |
| Blanket Flower |
 |
| Bishop's Weed (or Snow on the Mountain) |
 |
| Mums |
 |
| Wild asparagus |
 |
| White tailed deer |
 |
| Japanese Maple |
High winds, yesterday, brought not only leaves down, but many branches as well. Our yard (and deck) looks like a Christmas Tree lot, the day after everything was sold. But the roses are still blooming. I've picked a few for drying the petals, and should get out and pick a few more this week.
ReplyDeleteAre those pansies ones you planted late in summer/early fall?
I found quite a bit of downed branches also. I picked up some, but didn't finish. That will have to be done so we can get one last mowing/leaf mulching in before winter.
DeleteYes, these are the ones I planted recently. If all goes well, they will give a lot of color in the spring also when they come back.
The winds are howlin' here! Seriously, the news is reporting trucks blown over, trees down, power outages... I don't think the leaves are gonna hold on much longer!
ReplyDeleteTrucks blown over? Isn't that what they call a tornado?
DeleteHa! Well, there were gusts of 80-100mph, so it's definitely in the same category. I saw a video of a news guy out covering it all... he could barely stand up, and then you saw a highway sign flying away behind him! Yikes!
DeleteWe sometimes have storms out here called "straight line winds" that are almost as destructive as tornadoes--wonder if you had the same thing happen? Weather is fascinating as long as I don't have to experience the bad parts of it. ;)
DeleteI've heard of straight line winds, but I'm not sure if that's what this was or not. They call it a Chinook, and it's basically when a front is coming in from the west the winds come down off the mountains. It's a common phenomenon here, they're just not usually quite so strong! It's a mixed blessing - since these are downsloping winds they have a warming effect - but it's kinda hard to appreciate the warmer temps when you're being blown off your feet!
DeleteAnyhow, I would imagine that straight line winds are a more localized thing than the Chinook, but maybe you can get one within the other? I dunno...
Anyhow, the front has finally pushed into town so the winds have stopped, but now it's getting COLD!
A lot of interesting weather terms here that I had to look up. My conclusion was that if strong winds aren't swirling around (tornado), they can be called a lot of different things and have the potential to cause significant damage.
DeleteHa! I love your summary. I'm just glad my house and kitties sailed through it (yuk, yuk) unscathed! :-)
DeleteHappy for your kitties and you.
DeleteOK, not to beat a dead wind storm or anything, but the news is now saying that technically it wasn't a Chinook (which is where an oncoming storm pushes the air down the mountains) it was a Bora (which is where an exiting storm pulls the air down the mountains). Actually, it may have been a combination with the big storm exiting and the small front moving in. Anyhow... I know that was on the top of your list of things to worry about... :-)
DeleteI don't live close to any big mountains, so I actually find this very interesting.
DeleteHmm, wind seems to be the story with all of us! We had a windstorm last week--it doesn't sound as bad as ECL's, above, but the gusts were over 50 MPH. My husband said the wind did a nice job of cleaning up the yard. I'm amazed at how many flowers and leaves you still have.
ReplyDeleteIn case you haven't figured it out, I feature any color I can find. Most everything is settling into the grays and browns of winter. There may not be as many flowers as you think.
DeleteThese pictures are gorgeous! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment, Cheyanne, and thanks for visiting.
DeleteI love the pretty flowers.
ReplyDeleteI love the brilliance of the pansies especially. :)
DeleteYour photos are beautiful, as usual. I am still cutting zinnias every few days. Surely before long it will really be fall here.
ReplyDeleteI think of zinnias as a summer flower, so the fact that you're still cutting them seems unusual to me. But you are in the south.
DeleteI can't get over all the flowers you still have. We lost most of the leaves on our trees a couple of weeks ago in a big rain storm with strong wind gusts. I do have a sugar maple holding on to a few of its leaves. It looks a lot like your first maple picture.
ReplyDeleteThe second picture is the exception, not the rule as far as the leaves go. The only flowers left are close to the house, so they've had some protection that way. I am certainly enjoying both the leaves and flowers while I can.
Delete