Sunday, September 14, 2014

It's Almost Autumn

It's starting to feel like Fall, even though the Autumnal Equinox is still a week away. The temperature got down to 46ºF (7.8ºC) last night, and it was in the 50s (10º - 15ºC) the whole time I was on my hike this morning. And a beautiful hike it was, walking all the trails in the Dykeman Spring Nature Park and taking note of all the signs of approaching Autumn. The Fall flowers - like the Boneset, Goldenrod, and Calico Asters pictured below - are starting to bloom, birds I'm used to seeing/hearing seem to have gotten scarce or disappeared altogether, the hawks are migrating (there were two Redtails circling above the upland meadow and there was a pair of Cooper's Hawks being harassed by Crows down by the Little League fields), and there's just a general feel of Fall in the air. So of course I'm in heaven! Here are the best shots taken during that walk. Enjoy!

Boneset growing along the Dykeman Walking Trail
A Bumblebee visiting some Goldenrod along the Dykeman Walking Trail
The hillside stairs on the Upland Trail
The view of the upland meadow from the western end
The Calico Asters are starting to bloom along the Meadow Trail
On the Meadow Trail, looking north across the meadow to Blue Mountain
Bridges across the creek as it flows between the Little League fields
© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Me too! It's the perfect invitation to climb; it's irresistible.

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  2. The Fall is MY season. Every one of these is a dazzler. The Boneset is new to me - heard of it but don't remember every seeing it.

    Temp dropped more than twenty degrees here. Finally a day with a high of only about 70.

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