It Happened One Night

Yes, it happened one night this week. Wednesday night to be exact. Wednesday when we went to bed the trees were still wearing their summer attire. Yet Thursday when we awoke, they had changed…overnight. It was amazing, but Keith and I both noticed instantly what a difference in the color there was. And we haven’t even had a frost. It is just God’s magic of Fall!

Some years are more subtle, but not this year. It was like someone flipped a switch. Most everything now is completely turning. There is still some green here and there, but the bright oranges and reds and yellows have arrived.

The sugar maples in our neighbor’s yard are really amazing this year. Many of them were planted by our friend Bill many, many years ago and we are so happy that he chose them. When the sunlight comes through them they pop. They even brighten up cloudy days.

And my favorite little dogwood is a most beautiful shade of red! I love them when they bloom in the spring, but in the fall they provide one of the many reds in the pallette, along with berries for the birds.

And speaking of berries, Keith’s favorite shrub, his wild barberries, are ready for the bluebirds! They are loaded and I know the catbirds and mockingbirds also like these tasty treats.

Another treat of the mockingbirds and catbirds is our bittersweet. Andy they also are starting to pop out of their cases.

They have been in their little yellow cases for a few weeks and this week they started popping out, showing the bright orange berry the birds scamper over. Bittersweet is also a wonderful vine to decorate with, but we prefer to leave ours outside on the fence for natural decoration and just feed the birds.