Six Signs of Autumn

It's nearly the autumn equinox, and signs of seasonal change are increasing. While the overall view of most of the garden here is still green, color is creeping in. For example, the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) foliage is beginning its dramatic display (above).



Crabapple leaves (Malus spp.) carpet the front garden.

Hosta of the Equinox (H. aequinoctiiantha) is blooming away, while most of the other Hosta species' blooms are long gone.



'Autumn Joy' Sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile) is in its resplendent, full glory.



Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), currently one of the prettiest blooms in the garden, is claiming center stage.

And it's only a matter of days until the Mums' (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) buds burst into bloom. Changes are evident all around, and while summer is my favorite season, early autumn in this part of the world is darn pleasant.

What's happening in your garden? Head on over to Garden Ruminations to learn about "Six on Saturday" highlights from around the world.

Wordless Late Summer Blooms and Bugs

Western honey bee on Hylotelephium telephium ‘Autumn Joy’

Cabbage white butterfly on Clinopodium nepeta

Common hoverfly on Conoclinium coelestinum

Shiny sugar ant on Hylotelephium telephium ‘Autumn Joy’

Cocklebur weevil on Echinacea purpurea foliage

Shiny sugar ant on Zinnia elegans ‘State Fair Mix’

Flat-tailed leafcutter bee on Conoclinium coelestinum

Bee and fly on Hylotelephium telephium ‘Autumn Joy’

Common eastern bumble bee on Clinopodium nepeta

Common greenbottle fly on Hylotelephium telephium ‘Autumn Joy’

Goldenrod soldier beetle on Heliopsis helianthoides

A Great Hike at Mud Lake Wildlife Area

There are so many wonderful places to hike very close to my home. Nearly every time we hike I take a few photos, but I don't always get around to posting about them. One thing I've learned over the years is that wetlands are great places to see wildlife, and more specifically bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.



A few years ago, we hiked at the Mud Lake Wildlife Area, which includes approximately 1,450 acres of wetland, 590 acres of upland, and 220 acres of wooded habitat. It's near Rio in Columbia County, about 30 minutes north of the Madison area.

At the time of our hike, in early September, quite a few native plants were blooming in full force, including:



New England Asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae),



White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima),



Various Goldenrods--I think this one is Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), and



Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium).

This was also the first and only time I've seen Giant Swallowtail caterpillars in the wild, which was very exciting.



They camouflage themselves to look like bird droppings.



We saw the caterpillars on Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) shrubs, one of their host plants.

As I mentioned before, wetlands are great places to view butterflies, and on this day we saw quite a few:

Viceroy

Pearl Crescent

Monarch

Black Swallowtail

A worn Black Swallowtail sharing Thistle nectar with a Bumble Bee.

When I look back at hiking photos from the past several years, most of them are from late summer and early autumn. It's a beautiful, comfortable time to get out and enjoy nature in the Upper Midwest.