So here we are, mid-October, and it’s rolling out in slo-mo. While other areas are getting color, this little corner of the world (at least my world) has been in a bit of a stall. The maple tree in front of the house that replaced my beloved linden has a few tinges of gold, but remains mostly still green. The Crow Tree on the corner which is usually in spectacular flamboyancy appears to be slowly browning, without much fanfare. It’s happening, but nothing like in years past.

Here is one of the trees from the neighborhood in a photo taken five years ago, just to give you an idea of the possibilities.

Here is the same tree on the exact same day this year. You never know what you are going to get….

To go hand-in-hand, I’ve had the most lackluster approach regarding fall cleanup. Honestly, I barely care about it. A small burst of energy here, another burst of trimming back there. Then I just want to go inside and take a nap.

What I thought were many tall sunflower stalks (having planted multiple varieties of sunflowers this past spring) ended up mostly being Jerusalem Artichokes (aka sunchokes). A friend had shared some bulbs with me years ago. I thought it would be fun to grow and eat them. They took off instantly and became a bit prolific (read Invasive). That would not really have been much of a problem, except given the layers of lead-based paint remaining on these old houses (this one is about 125 years old) that very well could be leaching into the soil, it didn’t seem like such a good idea to be ingesting them. I thought I had removed them all, but apparently little pieces of tubers left behind created new plants.

Initially thinking they must have been the sunflowers I planted, I let them go until it became all too obvious what they were. Their towering, hairy stalks reached towards the sky, finally flowering when Autumn was well underway (pretty much the last thing to bloom, aside from the ongoing Zinnias), producing tiny yellow blooms that looked like miniature heads stuck on giant bodies. They overshadowed and took over the entire area in front of The Urban Porch.

Luckily, they pull out very easily. I gathered some tubers to share with some local people who might have room to let them run.

The actual sunflowers are finished and died off. I’ve left most of them standing for now, letting the birds continue to feast on them. Their blackened eyes, empty husks and jagged, wilted leaves provide a tinge of spookiness to the season.

In their usual oddball weirdness, the squirrels (or one squirrel) repeatedly brings its lunch (entire sunflower heads) up onto the porch, possibly in order to dine in peace, leaving a mess behind. I’m wondering if this is the same one that insists on depositing peanut shells in front of the door.

The oak tree in the median by the next door neighbor’s house has been infested with Spotted Lanternflies. The tree appears damaged but I’m not sure if the insects are the cause. It is peculiar that only that one tree (as far as can be determined) has been affected, even though there are others close by. Perhaps someone had parked on the street beneath it and deposited a hitchhiker at some point earlier in the year. I don’t want them on my trees and have been rather vigilant in annihilating them whenever I seen them.

At first I thought my new tennis racquet bug zapper would do the job (see “Seriously???”, 9/6/25 for more on that), but it seemed to be useless against them and useless in general, although I did zap a really annoying fly in the house the other day. This item has pretty much been a fail since the beginning. So I grabbed the ever-trusty, good old-fashioned basic fly swatter from the closet. It’s been very effective. I’ve read that for each lanternfly you kill (before they lay eggs) it will prevent 60 to 100 more from hatching. If that is the case, I’ve rescued the street from thousands of invaders. The neighbors might very well be laughing when they see “that crazy lady with the hot pink fly swatter” out there smashing bugs on a tree multiple times a day, but they might appreciate it if it prevents them from showing up on their property. It might be a useless effort, but at least I’m trying. The yellow jackets feast on their carcasses. I thought I spied a woodpecker picking a dead one off the trunk the other day.

While the leaves have not been the most dramatic, color continues to come into focus in other areas. These eggs are gorgeous –

The single flower that my indoor Fuscia plant produced only last week opened slowly,

glowing beautifully in the front window, petals reaching out in a ballet dance.

The mini-Oxalis has been doing so well that I was able to root multiple cuttings and give them away.

Down the street, the Fence Dinosaur (for those who follow) finally got a new outfit for October. I think they may have skipped the month of September. Right now he’s wearing sort of a wind/rain parka, which will probably be useful this week. They are doing up their house in grand Halloween style this year, so I’m hoping they will give him a costume.

The farmer’s market never fails to present with vibrant bounty.

I was particularly taken with the stalks of brussels sprouts.

A view of the evening sky from The Urban Porch the other evening was fiery and rich, settling into moodiness as the sun dipped below the horizon.

More color zing! It’s time for paw-paws and pomegranates!

The annual local high school homecoming parade marched past The Urban Porch a couple of days ago. The band with those horns, drums, feathered helmets and cheering kids always brings on a smile and a tear at the same time – I’m not sure why. Perhaps because amidst a world full of chaos it is something that feels cohesive, joyful and healthy……..

The following day there was a massive No Kings protest march in town. There were thousands participating. It was loud, creative, colorful, peaceful, and also quite moving to see people standing together in solidarity and concern for the future of our democracy.

Back on the block during the evening walk with Rudi, we noticed a number of houses – the usual ones who really get into it – doing it up in style for Halloween again this year. My biggest effort was dragging the skelly out of the attic, putting it in a porch chair and arming it with a weapon. If you are a Spotted Lanternfly for Halloween and come up on this porch, you’ might be in trouble. Unless there is a sudden rush of last minute motivation, that’s going to be the extent of the decor.

A few perks of Autumn – the mosquitos are finally gone. It’s also been cool enough to break out my collection of way too many cowboy boots. I’ve been slowly off-loading a number of them throughout this year, but there are still quite a few in the closet.

It gets dark so early now! Little old Rudi and I have been soaking in as many sunny days as we can; just a couple of seniors enjoying the Autumn sun as the season slowly rolls out.

~*~