Early Fall in East Tennessee – Flowers and ‘Locals’

 I decided to take another short break from my ongoing recap of our July road trip to visit our family and explore parts of western Nebraska.  This time, it’s all about the end of summer, early fall and the nature around us.

As the summer wound down, I spotted this praying mantis on one of the loropetalum bushes by our front porch.  I hadn’t seen one of these interesting critters in quite a while.

Actually Mantises are an order of insects that includes over 2,400 species.  They are found worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats.  Their upright posture, while maintaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to their common appellation, praying mantis.  Females sometimes practice sexual cannibalism, eating the male after mating.  FYI, mantises are one of the insects most commonly kept as pets.

One of our local honeybees took advantage of the last bloom on one of our bee balm plants… The bee balm is actually a member of the mint family.  This genus of plants is endemic to North America.  Bee balm is also commonly referred to as bergamot, horsemint and Oswego tea.

The planters by the entrance to our home have contained a variety of flowering plants…but there is no doubt that the bees love the begonia blossoms.  The begonias are still blooming and the honey bees are still stopping by...

On a late summer day Laurie spotted this Common Five Line skink lounging in our yard.  He’s quite handsome, don’t you think? 

This lizard is probably the most common lizard in Tennessee.  They measure from about 5 inches up to 8.5 inches long and their color pattern widely varies.  Generally, the body is brown or black with 5 white or yellowish stripes extending onto the tail.  Adult males are brown or olive with faint stripes while an adult female is typically brown with faded stripes and a gray or blue-gray tail.  Juveniles have a bright blue tail and distinct stripes.  Skinks love to eat spiders, termites and beetles along with a variety of other insects.

I doubt anyone needs an introduction to this gold finch.  Males are bright yellow and an olive color in the winter.  Females are a dull yellow-brown shade…just slightly brighter in the summer. 

In any case, there is no doubt that our finch visitors love our purple cone flowers.  When these flowers first bloom they draw the honeybees and butterflies.  When they’re done flowering, they become a big buffet for the local finch population as they seem to love the plant’s seeds.

Coneflowers are a member of the Daisy family.  They are native to the eastern USA ranging from Iowa and Ohio south to Louisiana and Georgia.  They are a perennial…as they are self-seeding.  They’ve popped up every year since Laurie first planted them in our yard.  We’ve noticed a few springing up along the edge of the nearby wooded area too…

Even the herbs that Laurie has planted in pots on our deck are contributing to early fall color…even if the blooms are small.  Those little blue and purple flowers are from her rosemary plants.  The thyme plantings produced those white blossoms.  I know that rosemary is a really a shrub but I think that those colorful yet tiny blossoms resemble orchid blooms…

Laurie captured this picture of one of our Ruby Throated Hummingbirds at one of our feeders.  She looks like she’s just ‘chillin’ or perhaps she’s stoned…or taking a nap.  We’ve never seen this degree of relaxation from a hummingbird!  Laurie had time to spot her, go get the camera and take this photo.  The hummingbird is probably resting up for her flight across the Gulf of Mexico, a 500 mile trip that takes 18 to 20 hours under favorable conditions.  They have to double their weight to make the trip…

Stay Away!  This is my suet cake!  I’m not sharing and that’s why I’m staying here and guarding it… This brown thrasher sat on this suet feeder, pecking away on its contents, for days on end.  Nothing scared him off except for when the big woodpeckers made a hard landing on the seed and fruit feeder just above him.  We could perform minor tasks on the deck and he would just watch us…not leaving unless he absolutely had to!

The brown thrasher is in the same family as catbirds and mockingbirds.  They are the state bird of Georgia.  This bird is noted for having over 1,000 song types, the largest song repertoire of birds.  These are very territorial birds, especially when defending their nests and they will attack humans to chase them away… The brown thrasher is omnivorous.  Its diet includes insects, berries, nuts, seeds, earthworms, snails and even sometimes lizards and frogs.

As I’ve mentioned in past posts on my blog site, our neighborhood is rapidly being built up with new homes everywhere and wooded lots disappearing almost overnight.  We still have a decent strip of woods across street from us although homes are being built on the other side of that little wooded area.  One lot next to us is also still covered with trees and undergrowth.

We did have some visitors recently.  We hadn’t seen too many deer in our immediate area is recent weeks so we were very happy to see this doe and her twins browsing along the side of the street.

The same absence has been noted as regards our flock of turkey.  We’ve seen little of them in recent months but suddenly they’ve returned, grazing in our yard and along the ditch across the street.  They are really big birds!

So what brought the white tail deer and the turkey back? Perhaps they know hunting season is approaching and staying in our village area is safer as no hunting is permitted.  More likely, they’re just looking for some variety in their diets as cold weather approaches. 

This burst of late season purplish-pink flowers has really popped this fall.  These light and airy blooms are Japanese Anemones.  These plants are a late flowering perennial.  Many varieties are available with colors that are pink, white and cream…  Once these plants are established, they are easy to grow and maintenance free.  Originally from China, Japanese Anemones have been cultivated in Japan for hundreds of years.

These plants are considered as invasive in some places and situations.  They not only spread via seeds but also through underground runners or rhizomes… They can take over an area if the conditions are right but if contained they are an enchanting windblown flower in the garden.

Here we have the juxtaposition of black-eyed Susans almost hidden in the background behind one of our azalea bushes.  Black-eyed Susans are native to North America and they are very popular.  They are a member of the aster family and they bloom from June to October.  They are named for the dark, brownish purple centers of their daisy-like flower heads.  Butterflies and bees love them!  However, it should be noted that black-eyed Susans tend to crowd out other flowers and plants growing near them.  

Azaleas are flowering shrubs that are included in the genus Rhododendron.  Traditionally, these shrubs bloom in May and June with their flowers lasting several weeks.  However, about 20 years ago, the azalea industry was upended with the introduction of a fall or repeat blooming variety.  They are labeled as the “Encore” azaleas… Plant enthusiasts have bred and cross-bred azaleas for hundreds of years resulting in over 10,000 cultivars or varieties.

I found it interesting that both azaleas and rhododendrons were once infamous for their poisonous qualities.  It used to be a well-known death threat if a bouquet of these flowers in a black vase were delivered to someone.  These plants contain a substance called andromedotoxins in both their leaves and nectar.  This includes the honey made from the nectar.  In some parts of Turkey and Nepal, this mind-altering and occasionally lethal “mad honey” is frequently produced and used as both a recreational drug and as a traditional medicine.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave