First Signs of Fall and A Mixed Bag from Mother Nature

If not goldenrod, what is a sure sign that we are in late summer?

And then there's sumac and its beginnings of crimson splendor heralding the transition to fall..


A Gray Hairstreak butterfly on some sort of exotic lespedeza (a legume used for erosion control):


One way a caterpillar might meet his/her demise:


Chestnut Oak acorns:


Sassafras leaves:


Sassafras seeds - these are often hard to find since critters get to them early:


Maple leaf:


A number of fungi:





We came along a curious scattering of little black dots on the soil surface...


..which, upon closer inspection, is discovered to be frass (caterpillar scat)! When you are looking down and see frass - remember - look up and you may well see...


...caterpillars! These are some sort of Datana (a moth caterpillar):


We suspect this is a defensive posture: we sure didn't touch them!

Most of the ridges in this hill country were once ridgetop farms. You can tell because they are usually in an early stage of reverting to forest and...


...you'll run across old farm implements:


We can picture ourselves up here growing food and fiber!