it's that time of year

it's that time of year

a middle tennessee garden blog


finding beauty in the natural things around us makes for one happy self and a lovely life. ~marmee

dash home farm, leiper's fork, tennessee

Saturday, October 10, 2009

life in autumn

the heart of autumn must
have broken here,
and
poured it's treasure
out upon the
leaves.

charlotte fiske bates



while the changes in season are trying to come...

our autumn days have been very wet.

which makes everything remain very green and
keeps the container plants oh so happy.

my variegated potato vine just keeps on giving.

the leaves continue to fall...the dry creek...not so dry...still has water in it.

no need to water or fill birdbaths....everything that can...
holds the rain water.
.

ground covers have fared well and filled in nicely.

an orange zinnia stays drenched.

so what do you do when the leaves are falling....

try your hardest to get the one that hasn't fallen yet and
make it your prize.

.

.

.

also...what do you do when it is wet....very wet....you roll up your
jeans and put on your wellies and go investigating.
with all the moisture comes
new and interesting results in nature.
there is plenty of lichen and moss growing on tree branches.
.

this whole trunk is covered with it.

our dogs faithfully follow as the exploring begins.
buster brown and beatrice...watching....waiting....wet.
.

even the leaves are changing differently...

they aren't sure whether to stay green or let the burnish of fall change them.
bonesets are blooming but most are drooping with the weight of rainfall.
these are some of the creatures we saw while out and about.
grass skippers seem to be enjoying the wildflowers.
these beauties(believed to be spicebush swallowtail)
were plentiful but never stopped flitting.
it seemed like there was a butterfly on every thistle stalk.
.

abbey showed me a little magic...how she could make a flower...
from kentucky blue grass seed heads.

i love it...it is purple.
.

this little all~black guy(possibly a darkling beetle)
seemed just fine being damp and in the mix of grasses and goldenrod.

as well as the soldier beetle(pennsylvania leatherwing.)
this little red morning glory is a stand~out against all the green.

the saturation makes every one of the colours look more vibrant.
purple morning glory closed tightly.
japanese honeysuckle
marigolds in this luscious painterly gold and red.
scarlet sage is just rich.
the little lavender petals could not stand up to the constant drizzling.

sometimes the leaves can't make it to the ground...as they are
glued with rain to the branches from which they are trying to escape.

faces of flowers are looking down shielding themselves from the rain droplets.
persian shield has loved the precipitation this year.

the velvet beans grew very large under the wetness.

it has made it hard on some things...more things rotted on the ground...for sure.

this guy...maybe a male riley's tree cricket...
was still looking for nectar even though his
little green body had droplets all over it.

all and all it has been a wonderful fall...every change...with every new
season...brings about reasons to rejuvenate...to renew....to rejoice.

19 comments:

Darla said...

Beautifully stated! Abbey is a beautiful girl..and I just love looking at Beatrice...so glad she came home!

marmee said...

darla,

we are so grateful to have bea...she is a sweet girl.
thank you...abbey is fun to photograph.
happy autumn.

tina said...

So much rain for sure. It does have a silver lining for the plants though as you noted. The dogs are so cute and such good companions to follow you all in the rain. Gotta love them!

Lola said...

A most gracious post Marmee. So glad that Bea is home safe.
You have a lovely photographic subject there. Love those freckles. She is so sweet to involve herself is all that she does learning all the way.
A lovely picturesque haven you have to look upon each day.

joey said...

Aw yes, autumn is a show-stopping season ...your stunning photos attest to its beauty, Marmee! And could freckled Abbey be any more photogenic?

marmee said...

tina,

really do love the dog tag~a~longs.
they always add interest to every walk.
i just wonder what our winter will be like if we keep getting all this rain...more snow perhaps.
happiest of autumns.

marmee said...

lola,

i do live in a beautiful part of our country and our area. it has changed my outlook in so many ways.
my oldest girl was also very photogenic but that was before digital, which made it much more expensive. abbey is very used to me snapping away and so she is still being herself and i just get to enjoy that by being the photographer. i love it.
life here is a learning curve all unto it's own self...she is so fortunate to have that as her playground.
happy autumn.

marmee said...

joey,

abbey is very comfortable in front of the camera because she has a mom who doesn't stop taking pictures. she just goes about being herself and i get the very fortunate job of photographing her in so many different ways. i love her very natural look...it works with all the landscape photos.
we are in full swing of enjoying fall and all it has to offer...as i know you and your family are doing as well.
happy autumn.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Gorgeous Marmee...Looks like you all have had LOTS of rain also. We are beginning to have some color here--IF the rains will ever end!!!! ha

Your daughter is just so gorgeous.. I love seeing pictures of her. She is so photogenic.

Have a great Sunday.
Hugs,
Betsy

Meems said...

Marmee,
Quite the opposite autumn you are experiencing up there in the north. LOL We are dry and very hot. I enjoyed all your images today illustrating the change of time and season. I didn't know you were growing persian shield... very pretty purple... it's just fun to see something familiar actually. You have so much nature and wildlife right under your nose on your beautiful piece of land... never lacking for wonderment! That Abbey is just cuter and cuter and a good sport for the lens. The dogs are willing subjects, too... I know they love having you guys out and about with them.
Happy autumn to you... hugs too.
Meems
(HA... verification word:heatish... no kidding!!!)

Cheryl said...

Dear Marmee......

How beautiful Abbey is....she has a quality all of her own, may she always keep it.....

Despite the wet weather you have many bugs....this is good.....your gardens are alive and healthy.

I expect you know that lichen tell us that the air we breath is pure.......they do not like pollution. I have many in my gardens and love their colouration.......

Your doggie companions must have a wonderful time walking with Abbey......children are just so much more fun.....

I am typing in the sitting room.....thinking of you so many miles away. It has rained again today and I am enjoying it so much. I gardened and got a soaking but I found it refreshing and stimulating....

A lovely post for my Sunday evening, thank you.....

naturewitch said...

Hi Marmee

Such gorgeous photos! I love the butterflies; their colours are so beautiful.

While you're having a wet autumn, we seem to be having a wet spring, so unfortunately, not too much time out in the garden. xx

Susie said...

These pictures are so lovely Marmee. Cute photos of Abbey.

Looks like you guys have received as much rain as we have.

Happy Monday to you!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Wet here too. When the rain lets up we dash around outside doing what needs doing. Then back in again when another shower passes over. We have no color on our leaves yet. Strange year.
Marnie

marmee said...

meems,

oh how i wish i could bottle some of our liquid for you....we have plenty to share.
i planted some persian sheild way back in spring and it looks great now. i barely watered it by hand only when necessary. it is surrounded by coleus, and ground cover.
my firespike is still growing though it has not bloomed.
i have come to love walking here in this extraordinary natural beauty...it soothes the soul.
abbey is inspirational with her love for life and the simple things she enjoys and i love to capture that innocence on film.
what can i say bout the dogs...i love them.
happy autumn to you sis!

marmee said...

cheryl,

we are continuing to have rain this morning. i just don't know how much more rain our saturated ground can take. it is good we still have so many insects.
i am so happy that you finally got the rain you needed. your grounds look amazing.
abbey has a wonderful quality about her and makes our lives so full. she is our little healing baby, after dh's accident, and we our blessed over and over again.
life without our dogs would indeed be dull. maybe a little less messy but dull. we love each one for what they bring. (kind of like children) all so different but none the less needed...each one.
i feel truly fortunate to have found each other...so we can share a small portion or our lives.
have a blessed day...in autumn.

marmee said...

nw,

our gardening days are few too with all the rain. we did not plant a fall garden...so many things are affected by the amount of moisture. we do a lot more walking now that it has cooled down.
hope you have a happy spring.

marmee said...

susie,

we are in abundance in the rain department for sure.
thank dear susie...hope you are having a wonderful week in autumn.

marmee said...

marnie,

strange year but better than our drought last year...we had no leaves and no colour. we lost 7 trees last yr....ugh.
i think we still might get some colour here in november.
happy autumn, strange times.