Fall

My downfall in fall – the light nip in the fall air always sets me to fearfully fixating on the impending winter freeze.  The most dastardly doing of the Midwestern winter isn’t the dumping of snow on my driveway or the frosting of my eyelashes while waiting for the bus.  No,winter’s worst wrongdoing is the creeping into my psyche and diminishing my appreciation of the truly gorgeous fall season rolling over the farm hills of Wisconsin.

Layers of color from the fiery sumacs to golden oaks.

So this fall I’m making a new-season resolution to live in the moment, or at least the season, and take in all the brightly colored of fall.  I’ve been making a point to careen my bike through every crunchy leaf pile on my way to school, and get out the forest while their trees are most colorful.  Here’s my bit of a postcard from fall…

Leaves

stuff

What a great day for a stroll

Every now and then I turn a corner on a country road and almost slam on the breaks in awe as I curve down a corridor of color!

Driveway

Let’s not forget that Wisconsin is a bit of a prairie place.  One of the things I’ve learned here – the prairie changes color for fall just as well as the forest!

Shades of grass

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Fall on the prairie

us

Milkweed – seeds all dispersed

I’m not the only creature out and about, soaking up the last warmish days of the season.  It seems that turkeys spend the entire fall (hunting season) pacing around in private fields of corn stubble just evading public hunting areas.

Gobble Gobble

This threatened ornate box turtle was a highlight of a recent field trip for my zoology class.

How could any species this cute be threatened?!

As the sun sets flocks of blackbirds flutter to and fro across a wetland deciding which side has the sweetest cattails.

Last flight of the night