Early Fall in the Nest

Autumn is warm and summery here in central Ohio, and the colors are slow to appear. But that doesn't mean it's not beautiful anyway! I'm always amazed at how much the world loves autumn. I'd say it's nearly more beloved than Christmas. You can definitely count me in as a fall lover. I anticipate the fall colors more than the arrival of spring, despite the fact that those same colors herald the coming winter. But we're not going to talk much about fall colors in this post, I'll save that for later this month. Instead, we'll highlight the continuing beauty of my flowers as the warmth sticks around for a bit longer.

One of my favorite parts of this season is the butterfly dance that goes on here most days. I'm not sure why it brings me so much joy to know that I've met their needs with my flowers, but it just does. I realize that they don't even know I exist, and yet it makes me happy to offer them nectar here.

Much of the garden still looks like summer, with blooms busting out all over.

But there are touches of fall too.

But I get confused when I see the zinnias blooming so well. I don't usually have problems with mildew on them, but this year it's rampant. I just choose to ignore the leaves and focus on the flowers.

But real fall is coming. Soon the trees will glow with autumn's richness, and I'll be out there snapping my camera as fast as I can. I can't wait to see it! Now if only I could hold off on the first frost, then I'd be really happy. I need to hold onto my garden just as long as can before winter arrives. Don't we all?