Is it Autumn already?

I was just out driving around and was thinking how the weather felt like autumn and then noticed changing colors on the mountains, already! Also a few trees (maybe maple? didn't look closely enough) have a little tinge on the treetops! I usually look forward to fall, but this is just way too early! Anyone else seeing early fall colors? And how about the colder zones, is this about the time autumn starts for many of you?

Are you kidding me? We're losing leaves - but it's because it's been so hot and dry. We've finally gotten some rain - but doesn't look like any cool in the deep south yet! I'd expect that we'll have good fall color though because we had a wet spring. Seem to go together around here......

Our weather took a turn toward cool and showery last week. The weatherman says we will be back in the 80's in a couple of days, but today got clear up to 60 with enough wind to make it feel quite fallish. I hope we get a nice long Indian summer, my vegie garden needs more time for things like winter squash to mature. So far we haven't even had a sample of home grown corn, and just a few ripe tomatoes.

Despite the ups and downs of the temperatures, it feels like any early Fall. Geese here are already making departure noises, and the crickets that announce a frost in 40 days have been active.

Darius, what crickets??

I hope you don't mean the ones in my garage, that all of a sudden are singing away. Do singing crickets predict a frost ... or is that like the groundhog seeing it's shadow?

Eileen

Eileen, I am not even sure they are crickets, but maybe... Anyhow there is an insect around here that in the evening and early moring goes: "che, che, che" and the oldtimers say that's the sign of frost in 40 days.

My friend Gary who is an 4th generation mountain man tells me his gramma tells the harshness of the winter by the thickness of the corn shucks. Haven't heard how this summer's shucks are.

But, mostly the Locals are saying a bad winter.

The newscasters are saying the El Niño or La Niña (whichever is in force now, I forget) will give us a mild winter.

Go figure.

I hope the newscasters are right, but it seems like they hardly ever are! LOL I predict we'll have an early frost and heavy snow until Christmas and then from Jan 1 to the following October we'll have 75 degree weather with occasional light showers! I can dream, can't I?

Oh dear. I hope it's a mild winter again for us in the Midwest. While autumn is my absolute favorite time of year, winter is the most dreaded time. Gray, cold, snow, ugh. I don't ski, snowmobile, make snowmen, iceskate, or any other outdoors winter thing so that season seems the longest of them all, to me.

I hear you, Eileen! I flew on a short hop from Vermont to Logan (Boston) next to a doctor who had just presented a paper about the decline in incest with the introduction of the snowmobile. Took away some of the boredom, hence less incest.

Winter here at least has some color due to all the evergreens in the mountains.

My azaleas on the north side of the house have started to turn, and some of the smaller maple trees. I thought there was something wrong with the azaleas at first. I'm not ready for fall or winter yet!

Still feels like summer here although, they are forecasting a chilly 83 for tomorrow! :-D

The cherry trees and maples here are already starting to turn a little... and of course the locust which are always early.

And the reason the doctor thought up such a topic for a paper was . . .boredom? Personal experience? LOL Not something I'd want to research, but I guess if it's a real problem then someone's gotta do it.

So, for those of you experiencing a bit of fall right now, how early is it? It's about a month early for us. I'm just hoping that it warms up a bit for a few weeks so that my tomatoes can ripen. Is that what is called an "Indian Summer?"

Did you ask yourself why that doctor would have looked for a correlation between incest & snowmobiling in the first place?? Kind of creepy!

Doctors always need something to research, LOL.

Here in NW Arkansas .. there are some noticable changes taking place, that does seem .. a bit 'early' yet ...

The dogwood leaves are already changing to auburns and oranges .. and berries galore on them. The Black Gums are already doing their 'tree top' turning .. and droppin' quite a few leaves. The Locust trees are beginning to yellow up .. and a wee bit of discoloraton is starting to show up on the Hickories also! The Beeches and Sycamores too, are making some color changes as well ...

The chipmunks are certainly doin' some hoarding of the feed we put out for them ... The Oaks and their acorns haven't even began to be ready to fall yet! And the squirrels aren't just eating on the hickory nuts, they're busily harvesting and storing them. The Pileateds and the Flickers are already getting into the Dogwood and the Black Gum trees after the berries.

Incidentally, I've noticed a chipmunk or two that found, crumpled, and packed a few leaves off. The're usually not doing that, until well into Fall!

I went back and took a gander at some of the dates of pics that I'd taken last Fall .. and those pics, pretty much document .. for me .. that things sure nuff seem to be taking place a bit earlier than normal ...

Reckon we may oughta just plan to start cuttin' our firewood a bit earlier than my hubby had planned ... He'll, of course, disagree, as usual .. but then, that haint nuffin new either! Think it's a 'guy' thing .. pretty much like denying {they} need directions! The ol coot most assuredly fits the bill for that one! .. heehee I may as well tune up my chainsaw operatin' bilities again!
.. lol ..

It's far better to be well prepared .. than, be caught witcha britches down, I tell ya! heee

I think mother nature is confused,, here is southeast Michigan the trees are turning, leaves are falling and the annimals are havesting big right now,,, some plants that should not be blooming are and things are dying back fast,, i have enough leaves on the ground to rake already !!! eeeeekkk
I love fall , but not ready by no means for it,, we really did not even have a summer,, August has been so cool for us,, what happen to the dog days of summer???

all I know is I have to get muclh to do beds again,, and that means lots of work !! hee hee

take care !!

cheryle

I noticed just this morning that my neighbor's Sweet Gum is starting to turn, Virginia Creeper too...After this hot, muggy summer I'm ready for a little easing of the humidity, the mosquitoes and the rain!

Yeah, Stacey... I can see you'd appreciate some relief, but you outta get a real winter sometime, LOL.

I spent two weeks somewhere in Michigan's UP years ago. It was one of the best VACATIONS I've ever had. An isolated log cabin in the dead of winter...

Yep, I like winter myself... except for bad storms. Just wanted to ragg you a little. :)

Eileen, Having worked for a mental health agency, I can tell you that incest is more widespread than you think or that any of us even care to know. It is sad, sad, sad.........and I'll say.....some states have a higher incidence of it because of the mentalities of some areas many, many years ago. And as far as the correlation between snowmobiling and incest, it was most likely that he was in VT where a snowmobile is like a television, most homes have one and it is what most people do there. :) I expect if he were in FL, he could have correlated surfing and incest.....

In any event, sad research to do, but as said.......someone had to do it. When I was growing up in Massachusetts, I spent every waking minute trailblazing through the woods of MA on a snowmobile.....what fun.

:) Kathy

Our forecast for the next week predicts a change! Mid to low 80's for the next few days and then a bump up to the 90's! Maybe summer isn't gone after all?

For those of you already raking leaves...maybe you'll have an early spring. Like in January! LOL That would just be too weird!

Its not over till its over!

My locust is dropping leaves and my azaleas are turning. Too soon! My squirrels are still breeding! Either they are at it just for fun or I may have winter babies. I guess I better stock up on animal food in case they need a little extra!

I noticed the leaves changing in KY and IN the other day. Way too soon, maybe an early winter....but hopefully mild.

it broke 80 this week !! wahooooooooooooooo,,,, now this time last year we had water bans so !! ( i had to water in the dark,, so no one could see me )

i guess i'm thankful for that, but my garden is not like it normally is,, due to the chilly temps,,,

i just think fall and winter are coming full force this year,, not like we need more snow in the winter ,, we have enough !!

cheryle

Funny you should ask! I went out to mow the lawn this morning and noted a vast amount of fallen leaves. How can this be??? I'm no where near being tired of garden fresh maters!

I am not complaining. I love the heat. But today my husband was knighted in an all day outdoor ceremony. Traditional dress for women is long sleeve floor length dresses, and it was in the eighties all day. Wow, was I hot! Still, it was a beautiful day and it didn't rain, so I think we got off lucky compared to some parts of the country.

I actually saw geese today! It is only 92* and they were flying North, but that's waaay early....don't usually see geese till Dec.

Dogwoods are starting to color up a bit...as is the sumac and VA. Creeper....everything else looks lush and green.

melody, those geese were probably just milling around or heading to one of their feeding areas. I hope! :-)

My Virginia creeper is just starting to turn red. I'm not sure if that is normal or early. I've never really taken note of the time before, though I know that it is always the first thing to turn.

BTW Darius, it is El Nino that brings a warm winter to the eastern U.S. It also brings rain to CA. (Yay!!!!!!!) I haven't heard anything about this being an El Nino year, though.

Sylvi, did you get any pictures? It sounds like fun and way colorful.
Kelli, every year when the first touch of color shows up on the mtns in _August, people always say: "oh, it's turning early this year". For the first few years of living here I believed the 'old timers'... now after 25 yrs, I'm still not an old timer, but as this happens every August I'm beginning to think it is the norm.

Yep, seems to be an annual saying everywhere. Being an old geezer I've heard that one many times!

I got some great pictures. Maybe I can post some on the general discussion forum.

How about a fall weather thread in the weather forum?

Sylvi, put them right in Photos - you can make multiple postings an everybody can see how great the costumes were. We'll all go look. ~Blooms
ed: John - go look at weather forum - it's a start.

This message was edited Sep 7, 2004 12:50 PM

Thanks Blooms! I'll see about getting them loaded to the computer in a couple of days.

all I know is that we had warmer weather the last few days then we did all August ,, the birds are flocking,, the squirrels have the peacan tree striped clean,, and the walnuts to,, the guy up the road,, went to go get some and they were all gone,, and if you look at the squirrels mouth its all black !! hee hee