This July “Seasons” will be the theme for the entire month with a different season featured each week. This week the challenge is “Autumn”.
In coastal Georgia, cool fall weather is always a treat after the sweltering heat of summer. The sweetgrass (muhly grass) that grows here announces autumn with it’s brilliant pink colors.
In coastal Georgia, Muhly grass (sweetgrass) turns a pink in autumn
When we want to see red, orange, and yellow autumn leaves we travel away from the coast.
Fall Colors in GeorgiaVibrant autumn colors on the UGA campusFall colors at Lake of the OzarksFall Colors on Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
In our house, autumn means it’s college football season. We have spent many fall Saturday afternoons at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia cheering on the Dawgs.
This week, Amy has challenged us to show photos we have taken at home.
During this almost six weeks of sheltering in place I find myself spending more and more time outside appreciating the natural beauty all around me.
Hibiscus
First day lily of the season
Second day lily of the season
We’ve had many birds at our feeder this spring – chickadees, house finches, cardinals, hummingbirds and others. My favorite is a pair of painted buntings that come by every day. So far I’ve only been able to get photos of the male.
Male Painted Bunting
The cardinals hang around under the feeder in hopes of finding fallen seeds.
Male cardinal searching for seeds under the bird feeder
Monarch butterflies are continuing to come through the garden. I haven’t found any more caterpillars and the milkweed they stripped is coming back strong with new growth.
I first spotted a Monarch Chrysalis in my garden about three weeks ago. I’ve been checking on it several times a day and after 14 days I realized this one was not going to make it.
Monarch chrysalis day 16
Being at home for six weeks has made me realize how much I have to be grateful for. I am so grateful to live in a home where I can go outside into my yard to enjoy the natural world. I’m grateful I can keep in touch with friends and family who are far away. I’m grateful for my health and the health of my family and friends. I’m grateful I am physically able to get out and exercise in the fresh air.
This week’s challenge from Ann-Christine is morning.
I’ve always been a morning person and for many years I’ve been the first one up in our house. I start each day by going downstairs to the kitchen to put the kettle on for my morning tea. Next comes quiet time, either in my living room where I can look out the windows, or out in my backyard butterfly garden under the arbor.
Tea in the garden
Nature surrounds me in my garden
Hisbiscus
Mexican Sunflower
Sunflower
After my tea I often go for a walk in the neighborhood.
Morning walk
Beautiful morning for a walk
It’s nice to see some feathered friends in the morning
Just two days after I posted about the Monarch caterpillars in my butterfly garden the caterpillars are continuing to devour every leaf on several of my milkweed plants. One bite at a time, they chew up a leaf and move on to the next. In just a few days they have stripped some of the plants until there is nothing left but bare stems.
Yesterday morning I counted about 10 caterpillars. One had attached itself in the hose reel on the edge of the flower bed. It was preparing to transform into a chrysalis.
Monarch Caterpillar preparing to make chrysalis
A little while later I settled down in my chair under the arbor to read a book. I was facing the hose reel but was so engrossed in the book I didn’t look up for about 30 minutes. When I finally glanced over at the caterpillar I saw that while I was reading it had become a chrysalis.
Monarch chrysalis day 1
Today there are more caterpillars and less milkweed leaves. They will continue taking their bites until they are full grown and ready to transform into a chrysalis.
Meanwhile, there are still Monarch butterflies flying around in pairs doing their mating dance. I’ve had a hard time getting a picture but I managed to catch this one drinking nectar on a Mexican Sunflower.
Monarch butterfly feeding on Mexican Sunflower
I’ll be keeping my eye on the chrysalis and hope to see a butterfly emerge in about 7 to 10 days.
We are in the middle of the butterfly breeding season. I’ve seen pairs of Monarch butterflies flying around our yard recently and the females have been laying their eggs on milkweed leaves in my small backyard butterfly garden.
This morning I counted seven caterpillars on the milkweed including two different pairs munching on the leaves.
Pair of Monarch Caterpillars on Milkweed
Pair of monarch caterpillars on milkweed
After about two weeks of eating, the caterpillar will be full grown and will make it’s crysalis. Approximately 10 days later the monarch butterfly will emerge.
Wandering Dawgs 