The colours and critters of fall

Fall is a time when plants slowly come to a stop. The annuals are on the brink of dying, and the perennials are losing their leaves, preparing for a long winter's sleep. But before they go, they put on quite a show.
Staghorn sumac is unsurpassed for fall colour. I call it the poor man's japanese maple. It's the first tree to show its colours. As a kid, I used to press sumac leaves between the pages of a book, hoping to hang on to those sunset reds and oranges forever. Like the expensive, often winter killed Japanese maple, it's a small tree which can become artfully twisted or arched, but it's as tough as nails and free, if you dig one up from the wild or are lucky enough to have it appear on your property.






My zebra grass has been in my garden for many years, and has bloomed for the first time ever. Shining silvery seed heads move with every puff of wind.




Meanwhile, a single ladybug clings to a seed head of feather reed grass, hoping to find a spot of cosy leaf litter to spend the winter.





And a dark-eyed junco feasts on the seeds of liatris and rudbeckia. Birds don't sit still and pose like plants and bugs do, so it's much more of a challenge to get a good shot. I'll keep trying, though. It's certainly worth it.