Harbinger?

It's still too early in autumn to grade the season's foliage display, but this flowering dogwood is already in fine form.  Dogwoods are always the first trees to "color up" here in the Mid-Atlantic Piedmont.

The dogwoods are heavily laden with drupes this year, which will be a boon for the migratory birds that fatten up on the lipid-rich fruit.

The first Northern Harrier appeared over our grasslands earlier this week.  At least one harrier usually overwinters here, but the early arriver may move on, to be replaced by another bird as the season progresses.

Glorious Early Fall Field Trip

Autumn dogwood as stained glass

I'm teaching a graduate course in restoration ecology this term, and brought the students to my natural area to give them some first-hand experience with state of the art restoration techniques and land management strategies in a natural area that is subject to considerable pressure from white-tailed deer and from invasive plants. Many of the students are landscape architecture candidates, so they need some exposure to native ecosystems, not just design classes.

The day was absolutely perfect--temperatures in the mid 70s, low humidity, and billowy white clouds sailing across an azure sky.

The native grasslands are at their peak right now, especially where they contain goldenrod and white snakeroot. The meadows are just gorgeous!

Back at the nature center, white wood aster was blooming in the shade of a specimen tree alongside a white picket fence.

Dogwood Silhoutte / Power Lunch

We've had perfect weather here in the Mid-Atlantic for the last three days: afternoon temperatures in the mid-70s, low humidity, a breeze, and cloudless skies--San Diego weather!

On my way back from a lunch meeting today, I caught a glimpse through a "window" in a grove of evergreens of a flowering dogwood tree (Cornus florida). The dogwood was backlit and glowed green and gold with almost an inner light. My image doesn't do it justice--the scene was far more dramatic and striking--but this will have to do. I made two dozen images, and this was the best at capturing the glory of a glorious day.

__________

I imagine that everyone's had the feeling of being a bit disembodied, floating above their body and looking down on the whole scene. That just happened to me today at lunch. A colleague invited me out to lunch to introduce me to a new acquaintance with whom I likely will interact frequently in the future. My colleague is a no-nonsense, hardnosed guy who doesn't put up with much foolishness, plus something came up at the last minute so his time for lunch was constrained. The three of us starting talking, ordered our meals very quickly, and yammered non-stop through lunch. That's when I sort of felt disembodied--I found myself talking confidently and professionally to the new guy, but all the while I felt like "who's this 'fraud' inhabiting my body?" I guess I need to develop some more self-confidence.

High Spring

Saturday (May 2), I took an early morning walk in the local natural area preserve that I haunt. It was drizzly and foggy, which saturated the vegetation with lush color. I was particularly struck by the flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida) in full bloom, especially those set against several non-native but beautiful European copper beeches (Fagus sylvatica). It's the height of spring here now.
Tomorrow's my birthday. To mark the occasion, my wife and I went to a Houlihan's for dinner last evening. I had jambalaya (which was supposed to have sausage, but which, alas, had none) and my wife had a serloin steak, which was a bit overdone. We went to Houlihan's because the restaurant gives me a free entre on my birthday, but it wasn't worth it. We eat better at home. The only thing good about it was that I didn't have to clean up afterward.