There is something poignant about clear blue October days like today. There is still warmth and color, and everyone knows there is a limit to the shirt sleeve days left in the year. The hummingbird has left for the year, the robins are still hopping through the grass, but are silent. The monarch butterflies are feeding in preparation for their long journey south.
I decided to take a walk at our local botanical gardens this morning, and take advantage of the sun and warmth. Many of the annual flowers are finished and have been dug out, but color can still be found in the hardy butterfly bushes, sumac, mums, marigolds, pansies and flowering kale. This statue of a wood nymph, is a favorite of mine.
I spotted a lazy bumblebee on these glorious marigolds. They were a splash of autumn color, inter-planted with red and gold coleus.
I don't always appreciate pots, chairs, and trellises painted in bright colors, but somehow in autumn, they look just right.
The garden features lots of natural wood benches, places to sit and contemplate the flowers and trees, and listen to the birds. Most have a saying carved into the back, and this one, from Wisconsin conservationist Aldo Leopold spoke in particular to me today:
"We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."
One can only hope.
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