October is a time of transition, full of the fruits of the summer, but also with the harbingers of the coming season. Whereas arrowwood viburnum brightened the roads and moors in the spring with its white blooms, groundsel is now the light contrast to the greens and browns. While the golden heather shone in June, the goldenrods rule September and October. While the greens were sprouting with their rims of red in the spring, now reds herald the browning of the moors in October.
New birds wing their way through on their migratory routes south, some stopping to gain sustenance mid-journey. The monarch butterflies flutter about before departure. On the bluff, the autumn clematis is done blooming, but leaves a spidery blanket over the shrubs. The last bloom of the rugosa stands out amidst the fading flowers.
The change of the seasons has been experienced by human beings for millenia and may be our most fundamental experience with change. This change is comforting in its familiarity and regularity.
In this season, the dragonflies seem as big as hummingbirds, and are more likely to be seen!
At Norwood Farm, the leaves crunch underfoot, the ferns are curled up and browned, and the blackened grapes are past ripe. Almanac Pond is the smallest I've ever seen it after the dry summer, but yields special visitors to the careful gaze.
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| Almanac Pond from the Road |
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