Are these asters? I always think of them as asters. They’re blooming now, along with pansies. My sense of the seasons developed in the upper Midwest, and I find blooms outdoors this time of the year just plain strange.

Prediction:* when they log the votes tonight, the turnout will have been LOW and Saxby the Sleeze will get the voter’s nod, thanks to the rural vote, or alternatively because of the low urban turnout (your choice).

* Yeah, we went to vote. No line; a steady flow of voters, but no line. Remember 4 Nov? We waited an hour. BTW, we voted on four runoff elections, two of them judges….

I’m giving myself flowers today—well, a single digital posy….

Here, share with me!

Yesterday I wrote about the eastern hemlocks, which are on the cusp of disappearing from our forests. This is an American chestnut, a species that used to anchor our eastern forests (about 1/4 of the trees), but is now reduced to an extremely rare mature specimen, and a few natural-coppice-growth trees less than twenty years old or so, like this one. These commonly get the blight and die back.

By the way, don’t forget that we have also lost our American elms from our forests. They were also commonly chosen as shade trees along residential streets within their range.

Here’s another of those floral devastation stories: the Eastern hemlock is under attack by infestations of hemlock woolly adelgid, an Asian import that sucks the sap from young twigs, retarding growth, causing needles to drop prematurely, and ultimately killing the trees—within a few years, actually, so it’s a short “ultimately.” Every hemlock we examined yesterday during our hike in Lumpkin County was infested.

Hemlocks are one of my favorite trees, and there is no stopping this invasion. These forests have already lost the legendary chestnuts, and this is another huge blow to this ecosystem. The Forest Service predicts that the loss of this species will change stream flows, light permeation, and in turn, of course, change habitat for many other species, including in streams.

Sad, sad, sad.

Okay, I admit it; this was yesterday when it was sunnier than today’s overcast.

As I watch the plants prepare for wintery doldrums, I can’t help but think about…plant* foods!

So, I’ve posted two new recipes for side dishes (well, postings are new; recipes are not). Celery salad—it’s heavenly, and I’m not a celery fan. And cracked wheat pilaf, which is a tasty way to enjoy those whole grains you know you should be eating….

* Oops; I erroneously typed plabt….

The leaves, they are a-falling. In step with the financial markets?

You didn’t know he was running, didja?

He won the $25 gift bag from TJs.* They loaded up a reusable bag with goodies—all seemed like newer products.

We now have a free way to try Israeli couscous, blackberry tea, citrus-flavored thirst quenching drink, three cheese tomato pasta sauce, a Lumpy-Dumpy bar, flakes of dried ginger, and several other products. Surely, we’ll dig into the microwave popcorn tonight!

Now that wasn’t the total excitement of our trip to TJs—read more as you “flip through” the pictures….

* You get to make an entry in the weekly drawing each time you make a purchase and have your own bags. In contrast, our local Whole Foods gives you a dime refund per bag used.

Okay, KW, here ya go: a picture series from yesterday’s hike.

BTW, the image above is looking through the not-falls—the drought and general autumnal conditions mean there wasn’t enough water to make even a trickle over the outcrop….

We went to NW Georgia for today’s big adventure. We parked at the Keown Falls picnic area—lovely, under the trees—and ascended to check the falls (dry), and ascended further, to the top of Johns Mountain. Then we followed the trail south along the spine of Johns Mountain, then, well, as Bill said, it’s all downhill from here.

We found the fall color glorious, brilliant in full sunshine, with few leaves fallen. Spellbinding in every direction….

We took advantage of the picnic area to down some calories, both solid (mmmm good salsa!) and liquid.

Part of our route followed the Pinhoti trail, which, I have now learned (courtesy of the internet—scroll down for map), apparently is the longest foot trail system in GA, and extends into AL for another 136 miles. It connects with other trails to make a walking trail from FL to Canada. So they say.

Georgia mountain woods, in my experience, lack many rodents, birds, and larger critters relative to other North American woods I’ve spent time in. Today was no exception. Our most exciting critter sighting: several busy dung beetles.*

* Get this: one of my recent birthday cards referred to dung beetles….

Back on this day in 2004,* I was wandering the ATL Bot Garden admiring the Chihuly exhibit. I was spellbound. In many cases, I found the glass pieces integrated into the vegetation with extreme cleverness, so that I had to look carefully to determine what was glass and what was living.

Your turn!

* I visit the past because I have spent today unsettled by the windy conditions. Give me another year, and maybe I’ll be inured to blustery weather.