Sunday, September 26, 2021

Mosaic Monday #149: Golden Days of Autumn

It's 8 am, and the sun edges over the hillside to my far right - every day, its appearance is later, and the arc of its daily journey is lower and lower in the sky.  The golden coats of the aspens seem lit from within, a satisfactory outcome of shorter daylight hours and cooler temperatures.  Mist rises in lazy curls from the lake's edge, as the warmer air over the water encounters the cooler surface of the land.  Autumn has arrived, and I like it.


Numerous plants in my garden offer their seeds to all those who would help with propagation - birds, the wind, me, and perhaps even the grasshoppers.


Plenty of blooms remain in the garden, whether from plants that produce all summer, fall bloomers or young specimens that got a late start.





Many of my fellow bloggers showcase the beauty of their gardens with cut flowers displayed in stunning arrangements.  I will admit to envy.  Until this year, I did not feel comfortable harvesting any flowers, reckoning that every cut flower represented lost propagation opportunity.  At a dinner party we hosted last week, I created a few posies with Aster, Prairie Coneflower, Russian Sage, Yellow Clover, White Clover, Aspen leaves, and Kinnikinnick branches with berries.  I am learning what has staying power as a cut flower - Russian Sage is long-lasting; Aster?  Not so much!

Wild mushroom hunters know that Autumn brings the prime season for collecting these delectables.  Make sure you know your varieties, and pick responsibly.  (Shaggy Mane Mushrooms first appear as white cylinders emerging from the ground, then the bell-shaped caps open out.  Shaggy Manes should not be eaten raw.) 


Autumn is as predictable as taxes, but Nature can still bring pleasant surprises.  On June 22, a friend gave me some Autumn Crocus (Colchicum Autumnale) bulbs.  Autumn Crocus?  I had never heard of an Autumn Crocus!  I planted them and gave them a little drink every three weeks or so.  Imagine my delight when they started to emerge on September 14!  Here's how they look today.




But we can be honored witnesses of these miracles only if we are IN Nature.  This week, Dear Neighbor Friend and I braved the morning frost and fog to kayak.  The lake had a serene quality, shrouded in mist so thick we could not discern any familiar landmarks.  Only the sound of our dripping paddles accompanied us.  Slowly, the lake's margins were revealed, and we glided silently along copses held firm by Alder, wild grasses, and Red Osier Dogwood.  Hundreds of cobwebs glinted in the sun, seemingly bedazzled by a band of fairies overnight.  


I marveled at the realization that the cobwebs have always been there, but it took the mist to unveil them to us.   




Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 


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34 comments:

  1. Autumn arrived for us a few weeks in advance of the actual date. We gave up on salt water cruising and had the marine shop take the boat out for an early winterization. Last year we could go out for overnights all the way into early October. And our mushroom pickers are already out and hoping more buyers will open shops in town. - Margy

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  2. ...Angie you have so many beautiful images, but the spider web takes the prize. Thanks for hosting the party.

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  3. Wow... that's amazing captures of your autumn, Angie. I love them all. Especially the spider web without the spider.

    Have a good week.

    Happy MosaicMonday

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  4. Well done on braving the morning frost and fog to kayak.

    Thank you for sharing a lovely selection of photographs, the spiders web is my favourite.

    All the best Jan

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  5. Everything sure is pretty and that spider web is amazing. I hope y'all are ready for winter.

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  6. Beautiful autumn images, Angie. The spider web is gorgeous. Autumn seems to be arriving soon this year. It is good to be out in nature no matter the weather.

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  7. Wonderful photos, Angie. Love the spider web--such perfection of design! Autumn is my favorite season and I look forward to its beauty every year.

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  8. Very beautifully written. The spiderweb photo is really lovely. Sounds like you are certainly enjoying the changing of the season. Have a good week.

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  9. Hello Angie,
    Your flowers look beautiful. I am surprised the Aster does not last longer in the vases. I love the Poppies, False Sunflowers and the Autumn crocus. I have been finding some mushrooms, cool looking spider web. Beautiful images. Have a happy new week!

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  10. Beautiful pictures Angie. Have a nice Monday

    Muchđź’–love

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  11. A delightful autumnal post, Angie. I love each and every season as each has its beauties. It is up to us to discover them and enjoy them. Sending some Spring thoughts from the Great South Land

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  12. The poppies are a beautiful color and how nice to make wildflower bouquets. I used to do that for 4th of July in NC. Enjoy your week and the nice weather!

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  13. Hello Angie how lovely to have a wander, or should I say paddle with you? I feel the same about cut flowers from my garden but I see how much joy they give me to look at them in a vase, I need to get over it too. Have a great week.
    Wren x

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  14. You are an appreciated hostess online and at home as well. Secret cobwebs, autumn crocuses and paddles swishing through a foggy lake … you describe the magic of my favorite season very well, Angie!

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  15. Fall looks and sounds beautiful through your eyes.

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  16. Here Autumn Crocus is a very common plant. I like the spider’s web.

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  17. Angie, Lovely flowers still! The spider web shot is precious. Thanks for sharing and hosting. Have a good week. Sylvia D.

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  18. Never thought of that fact that the spider webs are revealed strongly in Autumn because of the mist. Lovely flowers!

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  19. We are noticing the angle of the sun too. Already getting dark at 7. It has been lovely down here and rain is coming tomorrow. I don't mind at all. I am starting to put my garden to bed. Have a great week! Kit

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  20. Lovely flowers! I hope this season lasts a long time. I'm not a fan of cold weather.

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  21. as you go into autumn and I enjoying spring. My favourite time of year. We dont have the tree changes you have'. I really like the idea of a canoe on a lake. So peaceful. Enjoy your week, stay safe, and thank you again for the link up.

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  22. Dear Angie,
    the grasshopper looks like it has made itself comfortable in a fluffy, soft bed! Your shot from the spider web is also fantastically beautiful. You have brought so many remarkable things with you from nature, it is a joy for the eyes and the heart.
    All the best from Austria,
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/09/rostrosige-september-tage.html

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  23. Dear Angie – Autumn is my favorite season, too, especially the process of gradual cooling and changing to the final blaze of life of leaves. Autumn crocus is so lovely for its translucent pink flowers and the cobweb in the drops of mist is fabulous.

    Yoko

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  24. Glorious series of photos, Angie.

    Love looking at fall through your eyes, especially for those of us living in tropical countries.

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  25. I love your Shaggy mane mushrooms, or Shaggy Inkcap as what we call it, and it is edible when they young. I adore the mushrooms.

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  26. a bouquet of wildflowers beats anything that comes from the florist. that single leaf with the droplets is really pretty...a sign that autumn is coming!! i enjoyed this post!!

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  27. I agree with you. I rarely harvest flowers from the garden as I feel they must stay there for the bees and the spiders and other insects. Love the photos.

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  28. Hi Angie, your photos are filled with beauty. The spider web is amazing, good catch. Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend.

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  29. Oh wow, I love russian sage. You have quite a variety of blooms. Kudos for getting out in the lake with your kayaks.

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  30. Hi Angie :) I love your bouquet of flowers! And the mushrooms too, it's so nice that it's autumn now. ♥

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