I can feel, see and hear that autumn is near. After being stuck in the house for so long it felt great to take a long drive and I ended up at the park. The walk felt great too.
The nights have been cool and the mornings have been cold, so that tells me that autumn is near. What I saw on my walk confirmed that autumn is creeping in. I found this maple leaf on the ground and it is beginning to change colors.
I found this old oak tree and acorns were on the ground, and most of them were brown. People that harvest acorns to grow oak trees do so in autumn. They pick the acorns that are beginning to change from green to brown. If that is your wish, you are too late.
However, the ducks, pigeons, squirrels, deer, mice and other animals will be happy since they feed on acorns.
Walking further I came across a holly bush full of green berries that will be turning red real soon. Too soon for me.
Even the squirrels are turning colors, from gray to a brown and orange. Well, that is what first came to my mind when I saw this squirrel. After doing some research I found out that this one is an Eastern Fox Squirrel. This was a first for me. We have gray squirrels and the eastern fox squirrel is larger, has brown around the face, an orange-brown belly, and the tail is longer and bushier with the colors of a fox tail; hence its name.
When I got back home I took another walk and saw that my neighbor's pokeweed berries are completely ripe and the birds have begun to eat them. This isn't supposed to happen for another month.
The sun is setting earlier making our days shorter and nights longer.
I showed you the ways I felt and saw that autumn was near. This is how I heard that autumn is near. The daily and nightly chorus of dog-day cicadas has ended. The dog-day cicadas that came up from the ground, had their last molt and became adults. They found mates, the females have laid their eggs and all of the adults have died.
Crickets are what I hear at night now. I already miss the melodies from the cicadas and katydids.
For those of you who like cold weather, these are good signs for you. As for me, I hate the thought of putting flannel sheets on my bed and preparing for hibernation.
@tattoodjayThanks for stopping by!
All photos are my own.
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