Autumn Leaf Of The Day #6

 “You cannot move forward in the real world
if you cannot see the real world.
You cannot find the beauty in the world
if all you see is its adornment.

Autumn comes.
Autumn falls.
Autumn leaves.
The world turns fire
and burns off all that is fading.”

 
~Shellen Lubin 

 

 

Another Dragonfly

 

“There's a promise between
beginnings and end.
And, there's a hope between
end and beginnings..!!"

O' Autumn, you'll never stop,
singing your sanguine songs.”

 
― Monika Ajay Kaul 

 

Summer's dragonfly, meets autumn's beginning. So beautiful, and so emotional. I like the transitions of the seasons. How two moods share one space. Sometimes I can find lovely autumn leaves as late as March. Winter's sorrow blends with the earthly giggle of spring. I don't care much for spring and summer, but I appreciate the wildflowers, and the return of the Mexican Free-tailed bat. Maybe I am obsessive about the turn of the seasons, I get that, but they affect my creative side in all the best ways, and gives me a respite from the stresses of the moment. It's magic.

 

 By the way, I have more dragonfly pics to come!

 

 

Sandhill Cranes On Desmond Road

“Every story begins somewhere, some in the rain of forgotten yesterdays

 and some in the scent of autumn leaves...”

 
~Jayita Bhattacharjee 

 

 Finally! I spotted them on Desmond road yesterday, at 4:00 pm. My beautiful Sandhill Cranes are back! Well, actually, they have been back for over a week, but they are officially back for me now. They weren't making much noise, so I didn't hear that beautiful call and chatter of theirs, but soon they will be back in large numbers, and then good luck not hearing them! And I wouldn't want it any other way!

 

Here's where you can find them today!

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #5

 

“There is great beauty in each season, but autumn has a pinch of something more.”

 
~Laura Jaworski 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #4

“A lifespan of a leaf is equal to the seasons. And its purpose though small, contributes to the bigger picture. Being who you are—even if you are a leaf—is no ordinary thing.”

 
~Reena Doss,

  The Last Leaf Of Autumn: Barefoot and falling, infinity is a number that has none to end  

 

 

Grasshopper, GRASSHOPPER!

 

“Even tiny plants experience autumn.” 

 
~Devika Todi,

  Dreaming in A Fish Bowl

 

 

 

Okay, first, let me share, I hate bugs, but love and appreciate what they do for the ecosystem, but damn they are spooky looking! Like a mean spirited alien from some unknown planet. I've learned about different insects since moving to the San Joaquin Valley, but I hadn't gotten around to the grasshopper. As it turns out, I learned that they are actually fascinating creatures, and not bad to have around. Most cannot possibly be less interested in humans. But you see, I visited, Mount Diablo State Park, last week, and I met a bug a little less harmless. The Black wasp. Ugly, and come to find out, it has a really painful stinger. To their credit, they are not really aggressive, but you know, sometimes you meet someone and you just don't get along with them, the chemistry is just off!

 

To be fair, it was mostly me I guess. It flew into the car window and landed on my hand, surprising me, and I panicked! It bit/stung me, I went to smash it on the door, and it bit/stung me for the second time. It. FUCKING. HURT! We had only just arrived at the top of park, at 3,848  feet! What a way to begin a pleasant day. I am very sentimental about Mount Diablo, it has soothed my nerves to know that even if you live in the valley, if you can see that mountain, then the Bay Area is close by. I get a little bogged down out here, my nerves fray, my depression gets to me, and of course, there is gun fire all around me, but I can always see Diablo from anywhere along Hwy 5, and feel like I am home when I need it. 

 

As for the grasshopper, I didn't find him on Mount Diablo, I found him at the Yolo Bypass wildlife area, in Davis. And he got nowhere near me, but damn did I have a tiny flashback of panic! I was not interested in being stung by yet another insect, especially since I haven't been stung once, since visiting the bypass for the first time several years ago. Lets keep that place pure. Soon, the ducks, geese, cranes, and stilts will arrive, and I plan to visit... often! So no drama please. I also have not ruled another visit to Mount Diablo! They have a lot of wonderful creatures to see, like the tarantulas, especially during their mating season in October, and foxes, coyotes and on occasion, the California Condors. I'm kinda planning for a visit there next month, but I have a long list of places I would like to visit. I dunno, who knows, it could happen!

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #3

 

“The autumn leaves remind me of my own faded memories.
The leaves hold their own precious stories,
which drift about in the wind,
finding a new place to settle
and continue to exist.

The bare branches of the elm tree
still stand tall and strong, like I do.
It is a reminder that life still continues
even during the most adverse times.

As I land gently on the grassy plain,
my attention is drawn to the sight of fallen autumn leaves,
floating across the steady stream of water.

Sherwin has presented me with
many of these beautiful leaves in the past.
They are symbols of our steadfast endurance as a couple
and bring warmth and joy to my heart.”

 
~Susan L. Marshall,

   Fleur of Yesterday

 

Go visit a park. Spend time in your garden. Visit a river, or the beach. Sit on your front or back porch and study the world around you. See the colors. Listen to the sounds. Just step out of this life we are forced to endure. There is so much more than the stupidity of the moment. Stepping away from it all, is the best way to be in the here and now. Make new memories by letting go for a little while!

 

 

Oh, There You Are!

 

“Thoughts swirled around her head like the leaves in the breeze.”

 
~Diana Jaques,

 The Falling Leaves

 

 I have been looking for a Green Heron this whole year, but as luck, and the rules of birding, would have you, I found one completely by accident, months after I should have. They are usually, dependably, everywhere! You remember me mentioning that birding is Sometimes about being in the right place, at the right time? Well once again, my avian friends proved it's true! I am still on a quest to find the Sandhill Crane, which have arrived in the San Joaquin Valley. The map says they are in Lodi, Mokelumne City, the Cosumnes Reserve, and Staten Island on the delta. They are here, I know they are, because you can track them here. I am just not seeing them. Yikes!

 

 So, a couple days ago, we decided to pick a spot on the map, and see if our luck could change a bit. The spot on the map we chose was Staten Island. We had never been there before, so it would be an adventure. As it ended up, there wasn't much to see yet, but it's only a matter of time until the rice is harvested, and will be replaced with water, to provide grain for the wild birds, but aren't quite there yet, so we left. On our way home, I spotted this lovely Green Heron, sitting on a telephone wire. I saw him just by chance! He moved to this tree, while I photographed him, and engaged in a little fishing in the ditch line. He was very accommodating of me, and made my time very happy, as he moved about into one beautiful pose to another. There's the rule of birding, you see what you didn't even know you wanted or needed, to see! 

 

I love it when that Pacific Flyway opens each Autumn. I have to thank the gorgeous migrating cranes, for helping me finally spot my Green Heron.

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #2

 “Autumn is a love affair with the earth, where every leaf is a love letter.”

 
~Jayita Bhattacharjee 

 

 

On The First Day Of Autumn

 

Crimson Marsh Glider

Yolo Bypass Wilderness Area

Davis, Ca

September 22nd, 2025 

 

 “I wish autumn came around twice in a year

 — first as a season, then as an event.”

 
~Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu

 

What a beautiful little creature! Yesterday, as a way of celebrating the first day of autumn, we took a little trip to the Yolo Bypass Wilderness Area, and our time there was definitely not wasted! There were few birds, but the insect world was working overtime! There were tons of dragonflies, and yellow jackets, which could be a little intimidating at times. I didn't photograph any of the yellow jackets, but it was definitely not for lack of opportunity! The Mexican Free-tailed bats should have quite a banquet this fall. I did photograph some really pretty dragonflies, and I will be sharing them this week, plus a new bug that I have never photographed before. A funny fella with BIG eyes! You'll see! Yolo Bypass should be full of all kinds of birds in October, it should be downright glorious! There is a lot of natural beauty to look forward to!

 

It was a good day!

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #1

 

“That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air ... Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual autumnal beginning, as if last year's mistakes had been wiped clean by summer.”

 
~Wallace Stegner,

  Angle of Repose

 

 How beautiful is that leaf?

And it's only the first leaf of the day for 2025!

I can't wait to find all the beauty autumn has to offer!

 

  

Welcome Delicious Autumn, 2025

 

“But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.”

 

~Stephen King,

  ’Salem’s Lot

 

And Autumn begins. I love beginning the season with one of my favorite Stephen King quotes, and it also happens to be one of my favorite books. I fits. Although this year, it seems that summer wasn't as treacherous as previous years. I am almost... almost... feeling sentimental about it. It was like summer found it's empathy. Maybe that was it's treachery this year, or maybe it was just it was giving me a break, as it let me transition from such deep grief at losing my Hendrix, to my immense joy at finding two more loves in Simon and Tyler. But Autumn is here, and with each day to come, I will feel better and better. Autumn always heals me. And I never have to guess at it's motives!

 

Check back later today for the very first, Autumn Leaf Of The Day, for 2025! 

Sunflowers And Thistles

 

 

 

“Outside the leaves on the trees constricted slightly; they were the deep done green of the beginning of autumn. It was a Sunday in September. There would only be four. The clouds were high and the swallows would be here for another month or so before they left for the south before they returned again next summer.”
 

― Ali Smith, 

 The Whole Story and Other Stories

 

 

Summer is coming to a close. Tomorrow is it's last partial day. It will breathe it's last breath at 2:18 PM, EDT. The roadside sunflowers are withering, and the thistle has gone from it's stunning purple shade, to its white haired end. Sigh. To my dismay, I am beginning to see the beauty and tragedy of summer. It's been a bittersweet season this year for me this year, as I lost my wonderful Hendrix on June 9th, yet gained silly Simon on the 4th of July! Then, in August, Tyler came along. They make every day happy. The tears, are replaced with smiles.

 

 The bats are gone now, at least at the Cosumnes River Preserve. It was a colder than average summer. Perhaps they will be at the Yolo Basin in great numbers, we'll see. That is an autumn task. On one of the few hot summer nights that we had, we spotted a barn owl for the first time! Now if I can find a Burrowing owl, I will have yet another beautiful bird for my life list! No other season transitions quite like summer into autumn. This year I will be sad to see it go, but I am enjoying the amazing morning autumn light. I am ready for autumn. See you tomorrow!