Fall colors beginning!

Last week end was so beautiful!  I just couldn't stay inside...So off I went in search of Autumn colors.  I know it is a bit early but the change had to be happening.....I first went to Deer Creek (a favorite and close place).  It was so peaceful and beautiful!

I found this field of Goldenrod and other wildflowers.  The colors so beautiful, but the pictures just don't show.  I was at first fascinated with the flowers that had dried and were releasing their seeds to float away to come up next spring in an other area...
                                           Milk Weed....

Wish I knew the names...but the Milkweed is the only one I know for sure....

Golden Rod is so pretty!  The bright yellow really makes a field stand out!  The honey bees really love it.

This spider had made it's home on this thistle....here waiting for dinner to pop in!

                            Some of the tiniest bugs too!

I love this Canada Thistle...

The wind was blowing and I watched as a few of the seeds broke away and drifted off on their own to a new home in the field.

There were a few butterflies out in the field...not like last year when there were many different kinds..I saw only the Cabbage White and This Clouded Sulphur...

 I love the tall grasses too.  This one had a wonderful  brown color to frame the New England Aster and Golden Rod.

 I found this one very interesting....From my search to find a name for it...I believe it is Sorghum, Milo. The bees are suppose to like it.  It was very pretty.

Then I turned into the marina and this tree jumped out at me...Breathtaking...in another week it should be gorgeous....

 On my way home....as the geese fly!

I decided to stop at the City Park Annex.  Last year the wildflower field that is next to the boat ramp was full of butterflies....I found the area covered with Eastern Daisy Fleabane....

I think this is a female Zabulon Skipper.....

  And this Cabbage White.  There were a lot of them flying around.

Clouded Sulphur on the Golden Rod.















Such beautiful textures and colors...

I was so thrilled to find this orange caterpillar!  My first one this year!
He was on a mission...eating this plant.










As I was watching him I noticed that there was another creature on this plant...a Grasshopper.....

He is on the right side of picture midway down....

A view of some tall grasses and the bridge in the background.

The Cabbage White .....

The colors were pretty in this area and I believe the plant was one that makes the sand spurs!

At least they looked like them....nasty!

 Just a few more pictures of the color down in the annex right now....











Looking toward the bike path...

 This old tree stump with the wildflowers growing up beside it and the Scioto River flowing by made such a peaceful scene.  I sat down on the log and was looking around when I saw something on that tree branch in the river...here at the left top of this picture!!!!!

Got my binoculars out and saw not one but two Belted Kingfishers sitting on it.....The female is on the left...she has the reddish belt and the male doesn't is on the right.....

What a marvelous way to end my little adventure in the Park Annex!

But something was bothering me....I couldn't believe all the trash I was seeing...I picked up fishing line that would seriously injure wildlife if they got tangled up in it....so I found this

And made a wish!

Please remember to pick up your trash and  take it home with you.  But I noticed there was a trash can there for this purpose!

There is more to my adventure and I hope to see you when I post the rest of the story!