Labor Day.... the end of summer almost here. What changes in your garden mean fall is coming?

Besides all the pine needles that start needing to be cleaned out of my iris bed, and the ripening of hundreds of figs, the end of summer is when these strange protuberances start appearing on my iris fans:


Heeee!

Yup -- mine too!!!!

Been on mine for a couple of months, now. And on the Daylilies...the Dianthus...the Agastache...the Gazanias...the...

Yeah, we've had cicadas for quite a while now, and the ******cicada killer wasps that go with them !..............................Arlyn

One would think they were around here, as well, and I feel extraordinarily happy that I have not seen one of them up close and in person, Arlyn.

I am not sure I know what the wasps look like either. But then, we have lots of wasps.

What do the good wasps look like? I have these very dark bluish black wasps that never bother me and fly around the flowers happily with the honey bees.

Arlyn posted a photograph of one and it is scary looking!

Dragonflies are disappearing.

Not here -- yet. I'm glad -- I enjoy them. Especially after the Barn Swallows leave -- the sky seems empty.

Dragonflies thrive here too, or Snake Doctors as some old timers call them.

I know fall is coming when the ****squirrels start burying black walnuts in my iris beds !

I noticed the first digging by squirrels today. They tend to aviod the iris though, thank heavens. We still have plenty of dragonflies and fireflies.

I love my barn swallows, and really hate when they leave for the winter. Also the bats flying around in the evening are so fun, and when they leave, all that's left are the darn sparrows. All they're good for is eating my chicken's corn. I know it's fall when the smell of dead leaves lingers in the air, and there's sticky gooie carmel apples in the store. I know it's fall when Orian greats me in the morning sky when I take the dogs out. I know it's fall when I have to shut the chickens up at 7:30 as they're all clustered on the roost already. I know it's fall when I have to wrap a blanket around me to keep warm. I know it's fall when I have to dig the potatoes and sweet potatoes. I know it's fall when I'm hungry for a pot of chili. I think I'd really like fall a lot more if I knew it wasn't followed by winter.

I understand that Linnea. I love fall. It has a life all it's own. I love opening the windows and then wrapping myself in a blanket to stay warm. And the wind plays tricks with you. A great season except it leads to winter.

Cicada killer wasps are about the most docile species of wasp there is. The males sometimes persistently buzz around you, but it's not aggression. They just investigate anything that moves as a potential mate. You have to work pretty hard to get yourself stung by one.

Good to know.

Tom -- I agree with you about the Barn Swallows. The Martins leave first -- usually the last week of July. The Barn Swallows stay a couple of weeks longer. I hate it when the birds leave. I never notice when the bats leave -- they're so unobtrusive.

Bonnie -- I never heard them called that -- Snake Doctors. How odd -- wonder why they are called that?

Don't get me (or my dog) going on the squirrels burying the black walnuts... (Squirrel!!)

We don't get cicadas here, but I just noticed some whiteflies on some of the iris

I've noticed that night comes too quickly now.. I've got touches of color on some of the trees.. A little early here, but I believe it to be drought induced.. apples and tomatoes are ripe and putting me into overtime.. More canning.. 'tis the season.