I caught this little green tree frog sleeping in a morning glory leaf this glorious fall afternoon. He seems very content curled in the brown leaf. He was completely undisturbed by my camera in his face!

The monarch butterflies continue to emerge from their chrysalis. Six of them were flitting around the lantana bush yesterday. I was amazed that there were so many this late in the season! I think it may be close to the time to cut the milkweed back so the butterflies will migrate for the winter.

The coneflower rebloomed during the recent warm weather. It is just beautiful!

And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.

Oscar Wilde

I have been away from the backyard sanctuary for a while. Although my absence was important, it is heavenly to be able to immerse myself in nature again. Today, I sat on the back porch and watched the birds as they went about their day. The Sparrows were busy, of course, flying from Lantana bush to Ligustrum, and back again. They visited the bird feeder on the Maple, then flew to the rooftop on their way to another tree or feeder. A Mockingbird visited the suet feeder several times during the afternoon, as did the little Wren. So far, only one bird has noticed the seed in the little pumpkin that I put in a bird bath. I will leave it out for a few more days to see if a peanut-seed-eating bird will find it. I noticed a bluebird on the feeder today. I have not seen the bluebird in a month or so. It is always good to see the Eastern bluebird! The Rufous hummingbird is still hanging around, so my hummingbird feeders remain filled with nectar. She is very busy, flitting from feeder to flower. I hope she stays around for a while. I will leave the nectar up until I don’t see her for a full week.

Well, the moon is up at 6:15 pm, so it must mean that Daylight Saving Time is over. I love this time of year, the “original” time. Although it gets dark early, it feels much more natural than the fabricated time we observe for most of the year. Either way, the birds, bees, and butterflies don’t care. They do their thing during the daylight hours, no matter what time the clock says. That is what I love about the natural world. The natural world goes on, regardless of what humans do or say about it. Let us try to do more to preserve the natural world and less to get in its way. When we are in harmony with the world around us, life makes more sense. Treasure each day you have to observe and appreciate this amazing Earth we call home! Until next time…