Garden Muse Day: October

Autumn Diorama

Early morning
Crisp Air

Grey ridged bark
Green lawn, leaf clutter underfoot

Wisps of fog off the pond

Green trees
Orange trees
Juxtaposed

Splash of sunlight

Clouds pasted
For accent

Backdrop of blue
Pure,
unblemished, unbroken

Screens, curtains, stage sets
Transparency overlays

Layers
placed
Scene set

by
Raymond A. Foss

September has sung its swan song, and October has arrived with the unmistakable feeling of autumn. Cool and rainy today, it is sweater weather despite the hints of summer in the green grass and full green branches of trees. A few leaves have begun to put on their autumn finery in shades of orange and gold.

Ears of corn are ripening in the field, almost ready for harvest.

The once proud stalks bow in the midday sun,

their crepe-paper leaves now brown and brittle.

The gaudy colors of the summer garden are muted now in deference to the season. (Photo of the Master Gardeners' Idea Garden in Urbana, Illinois.)



Some flowers have waited all season to finally have their hour upon the stage.

(Hydrangea "Tardiva")

Instead of flats of brightly colored annuals,

garden centers sport tables of jewel-toned mums.

Or other sure signs of the season.

Bees take their last sips of nectar.

As do the late butterflies, though they may be feeling a bit tired and out of focus.

The Monarchs are migrating southward. We will have to wait until next summer for the perfect photo of this elusive beauty.

And we will have to wait many months, too, for that ideal photo opportunity of the camera-shy hummingbirds. (If you look very, very closely and/or enlarge this, you might just see this green fellow with the fluttering wings. I didn't even realize he was in this photo until I enlarged some files for this post yesterday.)

Autumn has arrived.

Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower. --Albert Camus

I want to congratulate all the winners of the 2009 Blotanical Awards. I was so excited to see so many of my favorites among the nominees and the winners. This was certainly an impressive group to choose among! And a heartfelt thank you to all of you who voted for me for Illinois blogger. I was honored to even be nominated, with all the wonderful bloggers in this state, and coming in at #2 in such great company was a complete surprise. Thank you--you are all winners to me!

For more Garden Muse Day posts, please visit fellow Illinois blogger and nominee, Carolyn Gail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago.