October Bloom Day...and up here there are plenty of things blooming! The fall color on the trees, for instance...looks as pretty as any flower I've ever seen. My commute doesn't seem long at all right now for sure.My porcelain vine has only a couple berries left after producing a lot of them, I think that means the birds have officially discovered their location. The 'Purple Pimento' peppers are looking lonely without their "host plant" being alive..sad but true: frost has already visited....
....dwarf papyrus sure noticed! I gotta move these plants and the fish indoors pronto!
This Bald Cypress has some nice color to its' needles as well...
...but the most "living color" is still in my annuals that are protected by the eaves and soffit...

...blooming along like rock stars!
Ah yes, but this frosty landscape was the scene a couple weeks ago, and after a brief reprieve it'll be back with a vengence soon enough... ...but my Wafer Ash doesn't look too worried. I'm afraid it should be though, they've discovered the Emerald Ash Borer in Wisconsin!
It would be a real bummer if he gets infested too, since his yellow fall color fits in so nicely with the Big Bluestem and asparagus ferns in my fall landscape.

Spurge coloring up nicely...
...and I can't decide if flash (above) or no flash looks better.
This cute volunteer petunia is still going, too... ...complementing the purple mums nearby.
My sedums are all nearly done, which seems early, and I haven't seen hardly any Asian lady beetles in the house, which seems late! I'm not sure if this is a lady bug or Asian Lady beetle , but if the color is the tie-breaker then she's the Asian beetle. I like the pattern on her shell, though!

Another spurge, blooming away like it's summertime...
...but this nice purple aster has her timing down pat!
Here's what's left of the 'Little Lamb' hydrangea blooms...

...more pretty asters.... ...Japanese maple on fire...

....poor yellow cherry tomatoes are not. Well, as the late Jerry Reed said, "When you're hot, you're hot...and when you're not, you're not!" :)
More fabulous annual action! These windowboxes are very well protected under the eaves, and receive warmth from the southern sun, so they are always the last to go (unless I forget to water them! They got pretty droopy at one point last week, yikes!)
Heck, they look better now than they have all year...I sure appreciate the extra effort!
Heuchera 'Patricia Louise' still going strong, too....
...even some hostas are still blooming pretty well...

...though this one is definately done! I'm digging the fall color, though.
My Virginia witch hazel is blooming this fall, even better than last year ...
....like cute little stars!
More fall aster action...
...'Russian Princess' lobelia still has one lone bloom...

...as does this helenium...
....this mum has more than one bloom...
...but not much! That's kind of the theme right now, only a few real "performers", but mostly "putt and sputter". That's okay though, I appreciate every darn bloom! (Besides, it's my responsibility to feed them...they can't really "forage" on their own that much.)
Snapdragons are still at it... ...and my Christmas cacti are just getting started. This is a pretty tangerine-orange just in time for Halloween!

This pansy bloom looks funny, I think some sort of bug took a bite...
....more snapdragons. You can squeeze the sides of these flowers between your thumb and forefinger to make them open their "mouths"...maybe they bit the pansy! ;-)
Another pansy, looking kinda rough. Hey, if I had to spend every night outside right now, i'd look rough too!
And finally, a colorful sunset on the river brings us to the end of another Bloom Day...
...and for plenty of awesome Bloom Day action, check out our esteemed founder Carol at May Dreams Gardens ! Happy Bloom Day everybody!

To the victor...goes the chow! I was taking pictures of these tiny flowers on my yellow and green lysimachia (it's not 'Alexander', I forget the name...will edit in later) (*Update: this plant is 'Oriental Limelight' Artemesia...duh!* :), and I saw this brown bug. He wasn't sitting quite right... ...and I tried several angles to try and figure it out...
...can you see the tiny white and pink legs that are holding his head?

The webs visible in this last image tell the story-he's been caught by a crab spider !
Even with the onset of cooler weather, these stalkers are actively hunting. Rock on, buddy! Submitted to Friday Ark .

Autumn at millertime...and the colors are really popping! Every day brings more, and I love it!
This bush with berries is pretty, and at first I thought elderberry, but the leaves aren't right. Now I'm leaning toward viburnum...anyone else have any ideas?
This cute little bugger is an Orange Sulphur ...check out his green eyes!!

This is a New England Aster , and it gets really TALL. I've discovered that you can cut it back like phlox (until @ July 4th) if you prefer a shorter, bushier habit.
The bees sure dig it regardless of height! Look who enjoyed "summer camp" on the deck. This year, I put it on the porch by the door instead of in the screen house, so there was much less direct sun and no sunburn to the leaves. And although it prefers more direct sun in the house, the growth and bloom this year is much better than last. I'd say that I've discovered the "sweet spot" for african violet summer camp!
The Sumac leaves are first to turn around here, they even beat out the maple trees!
Ooooh! What do we have here? Well after much research (and even a spore print ), I decided these are Armillaria mellea . Although they are considered edible , I am much too cowardly to give it a try. (Especially since my other references suggest caution . I mean, what a stupid way to die...may as well stick a fork into an outlet or something!) So I'll just admire this lovely group as they are........layered all together... ...like little beach umbrellas!

Among the many asters blooming right now my ligularia is also going strong. Since it is a member of the aster family I shouldn't be too surprised.
Gray squirrel and his "posse" of Mourning Doves ...I could make some sort of "wildlife pimp" joke here, but that was just my first glance reaction, mostly from his facial expression.
My favorite plant grouping this year still makes me smile, even though it's pretty over-crowded.
Another mushroom, Helvella ...seems I have as many different mushrooms as I do flowers right now....

...these actually smell more edible than the armillaria, but no dice. Hey! My Seven Sons Tree is blooming for the first time! Although this can be grown as a shrub, I have mine pruned to a tree form so the exfoliating bark will be easier to see. Red calyxes are supposed to follow these blooms...I'm looking forward to that!
Only a few mullein blooms left, and the bees are taking full advantage. Most of this stalk had already gone to seed, interesting how such different bloom ages are all on the same stem.
Another lovely mushroom, Amanita muscaria var. alba; (Fly Agaric), I believe. It was difficult to find a picture of a mature mushroom of this type, most images were of Amanita muscaria , which is red with white spots. The descriptions go on about the psychotropic properties of Amanita, but this does not interest me at all. I have enough trouble with reality, y'know?
Geranium getting in a couple last blooms before winter sets in. I want to take some cuttings from several annuals this year, but as usual I have more pressing tasks that need completed first. Plus they're already predicting frost tonight! *Sigh*
My Virginia Creeper has some nice fall color...

...and the Snowberry is really piling on the berries! There are so many I'm wondering if I should remove them to avoid injuring the bush...
...but they're so pretty! Plus the berries are "an important winter food source for quail, pheasant and grouse "...so I think I'll chance it. Asparagus berries...I tried some searches to see if these have any wildlife benefit, but couldn't find anything. I did discover that "vigorous ferns = good crop the following year", and these ferns are over 5 feet tall and really bushy-yay!
Twin Shiitakes on my mushroom log-cool! The colder temps really increase fruiting, plus I've been watering the log since my last harvest less than a month ago. I got this log from my friends at Field and Forest Products , right here in Wisconsin. They ship nationwide though, so if you love mushrooms, check em' out!

Speaking of edibles, looks like I let my deer-repellent spraying program lapse too long, dammit! *Sigh* Just goes to show how closely they pay attention!
I really love it when the clouds are pink-on-blue like this, and these particular clouds reminded me of a Jabberwocky . Remember the "biscuit-looking" fungi in my last post ? I was right, they're Bird's Nest fungi .
My 'Little Lamb' hydrangea blooms are really pinking up now...
...and I finally got some ripe yellow cherry tomatoes about a week ago... ...but now I think it'll be too cold for the 'Lemon Boy' larger yellow to mature. Ah well, I suppose I could buy tomato plants earlier than August next year for better results! :)
My Indian Grass has matured enough to set seed, so now I can scatter some down along my riverbank too.
Cooler weather means foggy mornings for my commute...
...and ferns setting seed (actually known as "spore" )...
...and some "naked-looking" landscapes. Guess winter's a-comin', like it or not!

Better enjoy some hot apple cider and Halloween fun before the snow flies!