Early October

Ragged zinnias and a single clump of white cosmos going to seed.

A variety of plants that summered in the raised bins. I'm still hoping that weather [and my back] will allow me to tuck them into the back wildflower strips before winter.

The buddleia is still attracting a few swallowtail butterflies and hummingbird moths.

This 'butterfly bush' is determined to grow out of bounds every summer.  I gave it a drastic pruning on May 4th which seemed only to encourage its exuberance. 

The west wall garden has become a jungle. A Mexican sunflower [after taking a year off] sprawled in front of the buddleia, blackberry lilies raised from seed two years ago have dropped their glistening seeds to produce copious new plants; lemon balm and catnip have rampaged. 

Sadly, lavender and thyme set out along the edges of the raised bed have languished and disappeared one by one.

Coneflowers have a few ragged blooms surrounded by bristling seed heads. 

Nellie-Cat patrolled the row of sweet potato plants in the days before J. had time to dig them. 

Sure enough, mice were tunneling into the soil and starting to nibble the sweet potatoes. 

With the potatoes rinsed and stored inside, damaged ones trimmed and cooked, Nellie continues to hunt along the edge of the garden.

Daily the leaves at the edge of meadow change subtly in color and more drift onto the ground.

The weather is dry with cool nearly dewless mornings and evenings that surprise us with ever earlier sunsets.

I want to be outdoors, to be idle under the blue skies, soaking the noonday sun into my bones.

I want to store up autumn, fortifying myself for winter.