A pretense of summer amidst hints of fall

 

Summer is attempting to make a brief reappearance here on Roundtop mountain. And for two days the season will succeed, boosting temperatures to near-90.  This brief moment of summer heat isn’t fooling anyone or anything, though.  Broad-winged Hawks have started to fly south by the hundreds.  Warblers are moving, too, and a few trees are even turning color.

Broad-winged Hawk

It’s true that most of the trees that are turning appear to be younger ones. Perhaps they are damaged or diseased in some way that’s not immediately visible.  Perhaps their root systems are feeling the effects of a few weeks without any rainfall. But whatever the cause, the leaves are turning yellow or orange, and as a result the forest is starting to show the shades of the impending autumn season.

I love fall, so I am happy to see the change.  I’m also happy because the color is a change from the unending greens of spring and summer.  Now that most of the summer wildflowers are past their prime, I can enjoy the variation of color on a grander scale than the tiny wildflowers offer.

I admit it was something of a shock to see the colors this weekend.  My morning walks with Baby Dog are accomplished completely in the dark, now.  And my evenings have been spent hurrying to finish one project or another at the cabin, so it wasn’t until this past weekend that I really noticed the yellowing trees.