Another Visitor to my Garden

I like to feed the birds - but this fellow seems to think the bird feeder is his private domain.

He was surprisingly agile in shinnying up the pole - even after we put some grease on the bottom of the pole that we thought would discourage him.  That obviously didn't happen...........















He did make it up to the top of the Shepherd's Hook - and sat at the top for a short while -

I guess he was contemplating his next move.

 Then hanging from the top of the post, he climbed down to the crook of the Shephers' hook and then crawled down on the tube feeder itself - with his body practically encircling the feeder.

Trouble was - with the tube feeder - he could not quite figure out how to get the seed out of the tube - and he finally dropped to the ground in disgust and went to look elsewhere for a meal.

After a surprisingly warm late summer day in the Blue Ridge mountains, -  these storm clouds rolled in and gave us a beautiful sunset sky in eastern Henderson County.

This was a photo I took from the Carolina Mountain Trail in Western North Carolina's beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

This was a view I took from Mills River looking out towards the mountains of the Blue Ridge. The sunlight was shining off the farmer's fields and the foreground in deep shadows was full of wild raspberries

A Visitor to my Garden

This fellow is a regular visitor to my backyard.

Fortunately, his favorite food is the tall stemmed Dandelions - and I am delighted he has developed a taste for them instead of my planted flowers.

Late Summer Colors

Just when I was about to give up on seeing the blooms from the Pampas Grass in the yard - they suddenly appeared a couple of days ago. They are gigantic, but very late to bloom this year.

The other corner of the yard has an Orange Lantana which just grows and grows in the rocky soil. It keeps trying to hide the Shasta daisies behind it in the planter.

We have really had a lot of rain this year - after two years of  being in the Exceptional Drought category so my plants have been thriving.

Pearsons Falls - Blue Ridge Mountains

This is a photo from one of our trips last year. Pearson Falls is south of Hendersonville, and is located between Saluda and Tryon in western North Carolina. The falls are only a short walk from the parking area - but once you enter the stone gated entrance - you feel like you must be a million miles from civilization. It is a wonderful place to relax.

Summer Lingers - but Autumn Awaits

   It still feels like summer here in the mountains, but the Hendersonville Apple Festival, which signals the beginning of Fall  in my mind -  is only two weeks away. The festival occurs over Labor Day Weekend every year and the thought of fresh apples right off the trees makes my mouth water in anticipation....

   But for right now - summer remains.

We drove into Bat Cave, near Lake Lure and south of Asheville, and saw many families beating the summer heat by swimming in the chilly waters of the Rocky Broad River.

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But the blooming of the goldenrod flowers on the banks of the river - was more proof that autumn would be just around the corner

It will not be long before we see the green mountain peaks begin to sport their Autumn coats of red, orange and gold. Autumn has always been my favorite time of year, and I eagerly scan the hillsides for the first signs of color.