Summer has come and gone in a whirl of dappled sunlight. I have planted, traveled, paddled, swum, collected, read, and investigated. I even raised Painted Lady caterpillars . . .
. . . and watched them transform.
Now, suddenly the autumnal equinox is upon us. The mornings are dark and the evenings do not linger. The natural world is winding down.
The bees work busily, gathering nectar for the winter ahead.
Treefrogs soak up every bit of warmth before they burrow into the leaf litter.
Crab spiders catch their last few bugs.
The dill has gone to seed . . .
. . . and the swamp milkweed sends forth gossamer parachutes.
Even the zinnias have lost a bit of luster. Still, they drink in the September sunshine as greedily as I do.