October 17, 2020

A Vibrant End to the Growing Season

asters and goldenrod

It's been a colorful October...

prairie plants at dog park

...starting with the bright pastels of the New World asters and the goldenrods, brightening up the prairies with colors that seemed unreal in their vibrance, like a child's watercolor painting.

zinnias 1

angelonia

cosmos

zinnias 2

The annuals in the cutting garden seemed to glow, too, including cultivars of Zinnias, Cosmos, and Angelonias.

monarch 1

monarch 3

monarch 6

About a week ago, when I thought the monarchs were long gone, I saw one floating on the breeze and then landing on the Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia 'Goldfinger'). The light was pleasant as the butterfly seemed at home on the bright orange blooms.

maple leaves

maple leaf

grasses

fleabane

rudbeckia

wild parsnip

A hike this past week at the nearby state park shared its beauty of the warm maple foliage, rainbow-colored grasses, and a few remaining blooming forbs, including the lovely, but toxic-to-humans Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa).

maple trees

Now, mid-month we've hit peak fall color and the maples are aflame.

This is one of the most beautiful months of the year in my part of the world. The autumn season is too short, but it pops with color just before the freezing temperatures and winds take out what's left before winter sets in. I'm trying to live in the moment.

30 comments:

  1. Everything looks so nice. Makes me happy to see it. Everything here looks dull and drupey due to the drought. I am so looking forward to some rain that might bring my thinking into a more positive wave.

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    1. We had dry weather for a few weeks this summer, but then too much rain. And more recently, a moderate amount. That does make a big difference! I hope you will have a good amount of rain in the weeks ahead.

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  2. Fabulous fall photos! I love the vibrant meadow. Great colors!

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    1. Thanks, Karin. Sometimes the colors really amaze me--especially when the light hits things at interesting angles. :)

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  3. It's beautiful in your part of the country, Beth. I can feel the change of season in your photos. I love that Angelonia.

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    1. Thanks, yes, we definitely have the four distinct seasons. Winter is wayyyy too long, but I really like the other three. I didn't realize until recently that Angelonia is a New World plant. Love it!

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  4. It is an especially good year for fall color and you've certainly captured a beautiful array of it.

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    1. Thanks, Linda. Yes, the fall color is lovely--a little uneven, but lovely this year. :)

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  5. Hi Beth, your fall color really outshines ours in Oklahoma this year. It has been so dry this fall. Summer was wet though. I'm enjoying the prairie and taking in cuttings. The circle goes round and round again. :) Happy Bloom Day!~~Dee

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    1. Thanks, Dee. Yes, indeed, on and on we go. ;-) Every year and every day is different, which makes it all interesting and a blessing with each new adventure, right?

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  6. Beth, this is such an uplifting post. Wonderful views of your autumnal joys. Angelonia is a great summer annual.

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    1. Thank you, Susie! It was really bright and lovely, and now at the end of November (I forgot to check back on this post), the colors of mid-October seem other-worldly!

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  7. Hi Beth, I agree, Autumn seems to be the shortest of the seasons here in Wisconsin. We had snow this past weekend and more to come.
    Carla

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    1. Hi Carla: I'm guessing you had a warm-up? The forecast seems to be warmer than normal temperatures for most of Wisconsin and Minnesota for the next couple of weeks. The views are still pretty brown and gray here, but I'll take it, because it means fewer days of brutal, snowy cold. ;-)

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  8. What a beautiful set of photographs to capture all the colours of autumn. I think we especially love this time of year that seems so short and glorious because we know that what follows can be a long-drawn-out period of cold and misery!

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    1. Yes, indeed. I'm trying to prepare myself for the long weeks of cold and snow... ;-)

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  9. You'll have to add monk's hood to your garden for some late fall flowering. It's one of the first plants up in the spring, but then doesn't flower until October. So it's something to really look forward to.

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    1. I think I tried it once and I really do like it. Thanks for the reminder to grow it again!

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  10. Absolutely STUNNING . . .
    Loved this .. .
    And the Monarch . . .
    Oh my, such color beauty . ..
    Thank You . . .

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    1. Thank you, Lynne. I neglected to check back and respond to comments on this particular post, and now it looks so bright and cheery compared with the November view. It's a good reminder about the cycle--soon color will be with us again.

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  11. A beautiful, uplifting post, Beth. Your stunning photographs and warm prose perfectly show the radiance and loveliness of your prairies in fall. P. x

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    1. Thanks, Pam. I really do love this part of the country, except in February. ;-)

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  12. Yours follows in my reading list after Monarch Gardens, how to seed a prairie.

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    1. Yes, the prairies are so vibrant during the growing season. And late summer and early autumn are their most glorious days.

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  13. I loveyour October colours, wow, that maple is sensational. Your photos are as usual peerless.

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    1. Thank you, Chloris. You are so kind. The maples were just down the street, and they're a beautiful frame for the park. The colors really are stunning for a few days.

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  14. I envy you your sugar maples. There’s the occasional one planted and thriving down here, but they’re not common. We have red maples, which are beautiful, but don’t quite have that glow.

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    1. I do, indeed, appreciate the sugar maples for the few days that they burn with bright colors. Every place his its special beauties, though. :)

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  15. I also wanted to add that the meadow with the goldenrod and asters is beautiful.

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    1. Thanks for checking back. Yes, the prairies and meadows are really special--particularly in mid-summer to early fall. :)

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