Harvest Moon Nature Log

October 2025

Oof. I’ve been feeling like a bumble bee that needs a face-down nap on a zinnia.

I think that’s how many of us find ourselves at the end of a busy summer. At least the change in seasons is on our side!

In the early stretches of October, asters abound.

Their many colors and forms flood a landscape you thought had shared its fill of flowers for the year, giving the bees one last reason to flit from stamen to stamen. I’d challenge you to try taking a photo of the asters without also taking a photo of a bee.

Asters linger with the fading goldenrod.

They are electric in the last golden days.

And then, the harvest moon comes. It is a definitive harbinger. The summer is over. It’s time to fly south, or head home, or find cover.

The bluejays are mostly gone, the noisy flocks migrating past ear’s distance.

And then, the frost comes. And the frost doesn’t leave much wiggle room.

No more flowers.

And the trees must get serious about shedding their leaves.

Sure, they may paint their pretty colors for a while.

But soon, it will be time to rest.