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.
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| We inherited some very healthy mums outside our backdoor and they are giving quite a show. |
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| The bees are enjoying the mums. |
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| As are the moths... |
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| And the flies. |
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| The patio tomatoes are still giving us tomatoes for salads in the evening. |
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| The osteospermum continue to bloom. |
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| As do the ever-faithful marigolds. The bees like them, too. |
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| But I do not like the European Hornets that are eating the bark off our lilac bushes. |
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| Yesterday morning was dark and dreary and I found this bumblebee sleeping on a purple sage plant. |
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| And close by, I saw a cricket. I'm wondering if this is the one that sounds so loud at night. |
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| Many trees are still green, but some are starting to change colors. |
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| 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. |
