Seasons

When seasons begin or come to an end, I am usually out in the woods or fields, looking for the first signs of spring, etc.

August, in Oklahoma anyway, is the hottest one.  Temperatures are often in the hundreds and rain is rare.  Not my favorite kind of weather.  So, while deadheading the echinacea and phlox, (please, if anyone knows if this will encourage another flowering, let me know), I found these leaf skeletons.  There were quite a few in fact.  Perhaps, the first sign of fall?

The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there

a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst 

the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

"The Seasons"

Japanese Maples

Just a pic to share the last Weeping Japanese Maple leaves of 2009. If you want the biggest bang for your buck where color is concerned, Japanese maples give all that and more. This tree is planted next to my goldfish pond and in fact hangs over it now. I think this is an acer palmatum but these maples come in many forms and sizes such as the weeping and upright and have quite different shaped leaves. The leaves changes many different colors from spring to fall.