It seemed like the butterflies and bees heard the prediction of a rainy week and they were busy enjoying the warm sunshine on this last day of September. Although the smaller wingspan, of about 2 inches, makes it small compared to the swallowtail butterflies, the bright reddish orange color against the black makes the Red Admiral stand out on the flower blossoms.
Red Admiral in September
The sunny fall day was nice for outside activities but with the temperature just barely making 60, it might have been too chilly to wade in the fast moving water below the falls.
Staying Out of the Water
After some early orange and red maples leaves, the changing colors seem to be behind normal years here but some areas are displaying a nice array of colors.
Catching Changing Colors
Some people complain about the damage that red squirrels but to me they are cute and my chipmunks do more damage to me, like the one which sneaked into my garage and then tried tunneling out through my insulation in the wall.
Cute Squirrel
After a few cloudy damp days, tomorrow’s partly sunny forecast might bring out some fall leaf lookers on back roads to view the changing colors of autumn.
Autumn Trail
Listening to the rain falling off my roof this evening sounds like a very small relaxing waterfall, and not a roaring one with lots of water flowing.
Peaceful Waterfall
The calendar says it is autumn but it felt more like the dog days of summer instead, especially when the yard was filled with a two year old dog and six puppies. And after play time on a warm afternoon, a Sunday nap was needed by most of the puppies.
Late Dog Days of Summer
The unusual warm weather is definitely more like summer than autumn and even some late blooming sunflowers (thanks to some fussy birds who threw seeds out of the feeder) are enjoying the warm sunshine before it freezes. The bees and other insects are enjoying the sunny day.
Late Sunflower
The first day of autumn felt more like summer with the temperature in the 90s and dew points in the 70s. The heat won’t last, just like the autumn colors won’t last long and the cold of winter will come too quickly.
Start of Autumn
The fall flowers are attracting a lot of butterflies on these warm, sunny days but the butterflies might want to head to warmer places before the first frost. The Giant Swallowtail is easier to spot than other butterflies since it has a wingspan of five inches or more.
Spotting a Giant Swallowtail
