Good morning and Happy Friday to everyone! Time to grab a cup of coffee and relax for a few minutes while we enjoy this sunny morning. Well, it looks like we are back to cooler weather and this time it will stay with us and keep getting cooler as the days go by. But it is autumn, so it is something to expect. GPS, my smallest chipmunk, still comes each day, and he makes trips back and forth all day long until supper time. Or dinner, if you prefer.

I usually call it supper, family tradition. But I digress. GPS is getting a bit braver but oddly he still won’t come too close to me unless I am already standing there when he shows up. Then he will run across my foot, or even sit on my foot while he breaks open a peanut. He knows it is me standing there, he will look up at me but if I move, he is gone. Oh well.

Coffee and Pocket show up a few times each afternoon now and Choco came a couple times the last 2 days. But returning to the cooler weather will likely keep them at home again. Although it is cooler out there this morning, it still looks nice with the sun shining. On my walk to the river the other day colors were beginning to show in many of the trees and especially the bushes and undergrowth.

I am showing pictures of some plants today that are interesting for their colors. These are sarsaparilla plants which are very common around here. They have interesting round balls of tiny white flowers in spring which then produce a round ball of berries which I am sure the bears enjoy eating. That is fine with me. It helps keep the bears away from here so that is a good thing. But I digress.

Anyway, the leaves of the plants change color in fall, but they do not all change the same color. They will mostly all have yellow spots on them, as can be seen in the pics, but there are numerous different colors, even on plants right next to each other. One will be yellow, another red, another orange, some stay green until the eventually turn brown and fall off.

Some are sort of a pink color, some a very dark red/wine color, some just turn brown. But they all have those yellow spots, except for some that just turn brown. It is quite interesting how they have so many colors. Though the leaves on each plant will be all the same color. Sometimes the yellow spots are more of a pale yellow. But it does make for some interesting colors along the forest floor in autumn.

Not much activity outside this morning. The chickadees were here earlier and there are 3 blue jays that have been here off and on this morning. Right now they are here again picking up some peanuts. Good thing I was able to pick up a few peanuts on Monday. I do not want to lose the blue jays. It is a beautiful morning. Have a great Friday everyone and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

©2022 Steve McLeod.