Tuesday, August 11, 2020

The Rose of Sharon

I have begun to noticed the first signs of fall, visible even in the midst of the heat and humidity of August.  On the local weather station's "Muggy Meter," the days this week are in the "Brutal" category, and I felt it today when I was running - three miles that felt like twice as far, with walking breaks on the hills.  

The petals have all fallen off the rhododendron now, and down our way, the fall flowers are becoming prominent, such as the Jewel Weed I wrote about in my post of last Friday.  Joe Pye Weed is also blooming, tall and leaning out over the road.

A week or two ago, we saw the first blossoms on our Rose of Sharon, which like Jewel Weed and Joe Pye Weed holds back its beauty until mid-August.  Now the tree is profuse with the blossoms.

For about as long as we have noticed the Rose of Sharon blossoms, we have been hearing the sound of the katydids.  (There may be a way that I can post a sound on this blog, but it is beyond my technical abilities.)  The age-old saying in these parts is that once you hear the rasping, rhythmic sound of the katydids, it will be six weeks until frost.  

It is hard to imagine during these dog days of summer awaking one morning to find a layer of frost on the windshield of the car!

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