Fall Happenings on the Farm: Produce, Late Flowers, Bumble Bees and Mother Trees

Tonight will be our first fall frost for growing season 2017. This is almost a full month later than we frosted last year. We had a super warm spring, cool summer, very dry summer and fall and everything is confused: we have strawberries flowering and fruiting right now...at the end of October! The chickens are dealing with the cooling temperatures by hanging out on our porch pooping everywhere. They just want to be near us...it's endearing and quite comical.

Beautiful autumnal colors are showing up daily here on our farm. The Asters and Goldenrods continue to feed the bees and the migrating Monarchs and Painted Ladies. We are incredibly grateful for these hardy natives whose seeds travel through the air and germinate all on their own and can somehow compete with aggressive and invasive European grasses. A friend gave us the new Goldenrod guide out from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and we highly recommend you get yourself a copy. It's fabulous and gives much deserved attention to the importance of goldenrods.

Interestingly, we have some Asters, Fleabanes and even Tomatoes that germinated on the North side (no sun side) of our house and are all flowering and setting fruit. Here you can see the shade shadow:

and the blooms:

Arrowleaf Aster (we think), Fleabane & Tomato:

and yes, fruit! Indeed, we have a happy tomato plant flowering and fruiting in FULL SHADE. This observation fits with the one we so often make: there is usually no one right way for anything, ever.

Our right way for acquiring winter squash this year was to visit the Owl Creek Produce Auction since our homegrown winter squash were killed by the Squash Vine Borer Moth. If you've not been to a produce auction near you, we say seek one out. The deals are incredible - we got oodles of winter squash all for less than $0.50 ea. and these will keep us through winter and the next growing season.

Finally, we made two really interesting observations this fall and made short videos to share.

Bumble Bee Nest Holes

Mother Beech Tree

Soon we will write about our high tunnel, lean-to greenhouse and one of our most favorite native trees: Eastern Red Cedar. Thanks for keeping up with us. We feel like our network of friends and supporters are like the Mother Beech roots and our lives are so much richer for your presence.

Grayson Highlands State Park & Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

We headed to SW Virginia at the beginning of September to meet up with dear friends to camp and explore in Grayson Highlands State Park and the bordering Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. (Thanks to Jen S. for the tip to head this way!)

The area is famous for its Wild Ponies (used to keep the created "balds" open) and we met some right away. No, we didn't feed them or touch them, but we sure did enjoy hanging out with them.

The entire area is very scenic and we so enjoyed meandering amongst flowers, fall colors, mountain views and of course, taking time to sit and just savor. We've known Beth for years and were so excited to meet Pete, her husband. You know you are kindred, when everyone wants to sit and learn knots together! Check out Beth's blog here and a past outing we shared that inspired us all.

All you Appalachian Trail people know this white blaze well. (If you love this trail, these beautiful landscapes and healthy ecosystems, please take action! I had no idea a pipeline was about to go through; it's time to say NO!)

Sneezeweed growing along a fence made us all smile. What a happy plant! This is one we are already growing in pots at our home in OH to get a population started here since: we love it, it's a late bloomer, it's native and loved by bees.

Blue Ridge Mountains are such an appropriate name for these blue mountains.

This young wild pony just had to say hi!

After spending two nights camping with our friends, we headed into the backcountry for two nights. The freedom a backpack with all we need to survive is a feeling we will never underappreciate. It's completely empowering and simplifies life in a way nothing else does for us.

Nights out in wilderness are sacred to us and put our physical and mental selves in such a place of sanctuary and refuge.

Hurricane Irma arrived in VA on our second to last day and told us to head on out before inches of rain and crazy winds kept us in the mountains longer than we had provisions for.

To be on the far, far, far, far edge of a storm like this tests us and ties us to the power of nature in a way sunshine does not. It's exhilarating and we are just as grateful for these experiences when we have the opportunity to leave. For those in the middle of these terrible events, we cannot even imagine the horror. (This quick video is so loud with wind so be prepared with your computer speakers or earbuds. It's so worth watching though to see the wind and rain.)

When we parked to hike in, this parking lot was packed but the weather apparently sent everyone home. It's a busy, busy place in fair weather so be prepared, but it's also a really spectacular place to experience.