The First Glimmers of Fall

Many trees are showing signs of their preparing for their fall and winter hibernation here in the Southern Tier of upstate New York.

Fall is coming, no doubt about it.  Chickadees visit my feeder, over and over.  Did you know the amazing process they use to keep track of every seed they cache for their winter feedings?  It's called "scatter hoarding".  I didn't know about it until earlier this year.  It's one of the many miracles of Nature unfolding around us.

The house finches have almost disappeared; it seems in our area many of them migrate south.  As for our hummingbirds, I will thank my Texas readers for safeguarding them so they can return to us in May.  (Thank you, Dorothy!)

Nuthatches and downy woodpeckers are visiting our "test" suet seedcake we purchased, as we get ready to feed birds through our winter.  We'll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, splashes of color are showing up in leaves here and there.  Here, sumac.

There, I don't know.

And an early fall wildflower bouquet Nature has provided.

Soon, the main fall Nature show will start, even as our temperatures struggle today to reach 70.  Later in the week, we will have lows in the 40's, meaning I have to start thinking about taking cuttings of some of my plants.  (More on that later in the week, perhaps).

Where did the summer go?