This has been a strange year indeed. The world around is not behaving as it has over our time living here. We have signs all around us that may indicate an early fall. Tell me what you think, and look around your neck of the woods and see if you see what I see! Then please do comment if you see signs too!
By this time I would be posting photos of huge plants in my vegetable garden, but this year my tomatoes: One is still 6″ tall, and the other two, are maybe a foot tall. My corn (do you remember the photos from last year?) are maybe a foot and a half tall and are flowering. The zucchini plants are maybe one foot in circumference, and the acorn squash are still 6 inches. The peppers are no bigger than they were at the end of May, and reach 6″ high. Yes this is in the lasagne garden! No garden photos as it is a bit embarrassing!
One of the first things I noticed is that the Chinese Maple is turning color. Here we are at the end of July and this tree does not change color until late September, early October.
The Chinese Maples are turning color
My Virginia creepers are turning red. They do not turn red, in normal conditions, until October as well.
The Virginia creepers are turning red
As we hit September, the Digger Pines start to shed, which means needles start to turn brown. When the rains and winds hit in late October early November, they fall and create a lot of work for us. Here is a shot of one of the many Digger Pines in our yard. They are ready to shed needles.
The Digger Pines are shedding two months early
Our Poplar is turning gold and so are others in the neighborhood.
Poplars going gold!
There is a plant in the garden at the winery, and the name of this plant is Spirea. It turns beautiful shades of red in the fall. The leaves are starting to turn as this photo shows.
Spirea are starting to change color
The black walnut trees are dropping leaves and the fruit seems to be starting to dry out, which they need to do before the nuts fall. What do you think about the leaves on this tree?
The Black Walnut leaves are going gold
One of the typical sights that we see here in late September are the tent moths forming their webs in the black walnut trees. They showed up this week. This is not the best photo, and the web looks like a face, but here is a tent moth web. There are already at least a dozen on the road on my way to work.
Tent moth webs are early
So, I have already mentioned that the Digger Pines are shedding, but did I mention that the Redwoods are too?
The Redwoods are shedding too!
Here is one final shot for you. This one is in the American River Canyon. The leaves on these trees are turning a golden brown!
Trees in the canyon are changing color
We also have flowers here that are called Naked Ladies. In some areas these are past their prime in blooming and starting to fade. These do not come up until the end of August! As I said in a previous post, we are anticipating harvest of the wine grapes to begin two weeks earlier than in a normal season. Are these signs that fall is coming early? You tell me!
Thank you for visiting today and have a fantastic Thursday!
Life in the Foothills 
I live in Texas and I’m ready for fall.
We are too! Hot and dry. There is a fire burning nearby, and water is at a premium here! Sand Fire
I totally agree. Here in Connecticut our leaves are starting to turn brown and red and falling off. The nights are coming down faster and the nights really cool in the 50s and 60s
I will be doing an update…Trees that do not turn until mid-Sept. are changing! Many things are!
Yes, yes… I see a few signs but I chose to ignore them. The robins, martins, and just about every other bird has disappeared from the landscape, too. The odd thing is that they have left earlier than usual. Even birds that stay all winter have disappeared! I have been working outside all day I have not seen one bird!!! What the heck is up with that? I did see a hummingbird yesterday, though!
Early signs….
I live in rural SW Iowa. We have been hearing the locusts singing for about three weeks. We live near Omaha , Nebraska. On July 28th they had a new record low of 48 degrees. (We had 40 degrees on our thermometer out in the country.) We spent last week at a central Iowa lake and it was quite cold at night. Today, I drove some gravel roads near us and the sumac is turning bright orange and red, with mature seed heads on them. Could be an early fall. I’m just hoping for a very long Indian summer if that happens. Hopefully not another winter like a few years ago.
Phyllis – Thank you for your comment and for contributing signs of an early fall in your neck of the woods! Our sumac here has mature seed heads too, and our pistachio trees are changing colors. The black walnuts are also dropping leaves and turning gold too! The redbuds along highway 50 in Cameron Park have already turned rust too! We are hoping for a better winter than last which was moisture starved. All of our rain went to the mid-west! Again thank you!
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You have me wondering what I might find in my own garden to give me a sign of early fall. The weather has been really unusually cool, if not cold, off and on. We keep alternating between extreme heat and quite chilly! Something is going on, that’s true! 🙂
There are too many signs out there that maybe fall is coming soon!
G’day Barb and beautiful, true!
I think I sent you a photo of an almond tree in full bloom that has bloomed a month early too!
Cheers! Joanne
Thank you, and I loved the photo of the almond tree that you sent me!
Fall is definitely in the air. Yesterday & today I left the house for work & it was 55 degrees. Brrr… I ended up turning the heat on in my car.
I hope this is not a sign of a harsh winter to come.
I wish it was 55 here! This morning we woke up to 76.1 degrees…Will be a hot one with humidity due to the monsoonal flow coming up from AZ!
I don’t see the turning of the leaves or shedding of needles early as you have. I’m on the East coast. Connecticut’s spring was, for a long stretch, below normal cold and cloudy but with little to no rain. Very unusual as we usually have heavy rains in spring. Except for the hardy spring daffodils. The other spring time perennial bloomers were even more short lived than would be normal because it was so cold.
We couldn’t get our annuals either. The nurseries were having to cover them at night because night time temps were dropping close to freezing and since they already had all their tropical plants in, (they don’t survive under 50 degrees) many got frost bite. We couldn’t get Impatiens because of a fungus that wiped out this year’s crop. Don’t know where they come from. I remember visiting my favorite nursery and expecting to see the usual rows upon rows of bright oranges, reds, yellow and pink flowers of blooming hibiscus plants (tropical). They had them, but they were small and sick looking and the flowers that did bloom looked freeze dried.
We then had a succession of 19 beautiful sunny and warm days but still no rain. The grass turned from that thick and beautiful dark green to brown and patchy. Something you’d expect in mid to late summer not early June! We finally got rain for 2 straight weeks in mid June. No plant, animal or human was thriving. Mushrooms were loving it.
Late June to now: 2 heat waves with temps in the mid to high 90’s with 80% humidity. No rain. Last few days…the end to the most recent 8 day heatwave and the arrival of a cold front. Flooding rain on Wed. afternoon for several hours. Last night it got very windy and the temp dropped to 58 degrees. (During the last heatwave it never got below 80 degrees overnight.)
Today it’s been cloudy and cool, mid-60’s. Its July 25th! I don’t remember ever having a summer like this. Sorry for the really long comment…I think the freaky weather has finally gotten to me. 🙂
No worries here! I appreciate your commentary on how it is where you live on the Eastern Coast of the U.S. May all be well for the remainder of the seaaon! Thank you for the answer to my question!
Okay, first, absolutely gorgeous photography Barb. you are really really good! Second, I think we are in for a heck of a winter, just a gut feeling, but it’s there none the less. Having said that, I hope not, my friend! hugs to you, xx
Thank you Penny! I think that we might be too, or a repeat of this last fall and winter season? Our Silk Trees had only about 4-5 blooms each and these trees canopies are usually covered. Not many flowers this year. I hope that we have a fall and winter that relieves us of the drought we now have! Hugs Pen! B
Your plants may be stressed if they were too dry or too hot this summer.
Thank you Forest for your comment. I thought maybe it could be stress, but the nut bearing trees are putting out big time. Oak acorns are profuse and are dropping. Grapes are ready for harvest in 3 weeks. Blackberries in my yard are fully loaded and I will be harvesting tomorrow morning. Maybe too dry or too hot. Too dry of a winter, and a normal summer….Do you still think that this is stress?
have you guys been a bit dry? if so that will triggor this, everything here in ne ohio is green as can be my flowers and rugosas are blooming again my crepe myrtles are starting to flower and my plants are growing like crazy still. we have had alot of rain too, funny last year for two months we didn’t hardly rain so I bet I mowed maybe once a month, now I am like once a week and still can[‘t keep up with it. frankly having to mow this much is getting me soured for mowing, every two weeks would be okay but usually by august I am tired of mowing. dont know why your plants are starting the dormancy stage so soon, be good to know why.
Our crepe myrtles are done blooming. We had a dry winter and you apparently got our rain! The plants are going into dormancy from all appearances, and the patterns of critters changed. Robins in our area are migratory and they do not show up until October. They are making an appearance and it is only the end of July! Flickers (a woodpecker) are also a migratory bird that shows up in October, and my husband saw one yesterday hanging onto the garage where she sleeps in winter every year. It would be good to know why. Do you think this might have to do with those countries who do not have the environmental controls which effect the environment of the world? Curious.
no I think it is just birds are increasing in number and are being pushed furthur out from original range at that time, example here is the grackles they usually pass through here seldom do they breed here near my area but this year they are very numerous but of course they are now migrating they usually start out by july, of course a dry winter does have effects that go well into summer, . also your flickers probably could be spill overs or the areas futhur north are not as condusive totheir needs so they moved futhur down the mountains or south out of canada. there was a long period of time I never seen bluebirds ever here in ne ohio, but that past few years they are abundant, more numerous? more habitate friendly now? less pollution? more bluebird houses being built? (some have suggested that), so there are a dozon or more explanations for such things then the pollution causing climate change, not that I consider co2 a pollutant unless your trapped in a air tight container, but I am not ruling out the actual physical presence of substances like dust, dirt etc that block out hte sun making it get cooler. also people forget in the past 50 years or so the amount of sunlight actually reaching us has decreased by about 10 percent or so, so this translates into less heat, they call it global dimming, notice the enviroment crazies (as opposed to true environmentalists who actually use their heads rather than they hearts) do not mention any of this because there is no profit in it. enviroment is a cool cover story for greed and selfish abuse of power to rule over others, anyway robins in our area are partially migratory, they will migrate if foods sources dwindle, used to never see them in winter around here but sometimes I do in the woods, when hiking so robins out of their normal habits we are used to is not necessarily a cause for concern, after all patterns of life change constantly we just don’t live long enough to record them and keep tabs to notice when things are that shouldnt be meaning there is a problem somewhere that is serious and needs to be addressed. also I am not ruling out bird feeders either, so many people are feeding birds now they are changing their ranges in lieu of it, birdwatching is one of the most popular hobbies in this country. pollution in china and other areas where there are not enviromental protection laws are really bad their water and air quality is like non existant, don’t be too hard on corporations they are only reacting to all the regulations that gov impose that are not based on sound science or economics, but about politics and agendas you and I are not privy too (tho I do fault them for their greed, after all do you really need laws to force you to be cleaner ot care about the enviroment?)now your plants going in dormancy that could mean nothing other than your year has been a bit dry overall, it could mean the trees are reacting to something we don’t know anything about, it could be a one time thing or a continuous thing which means something is going on. time will tell, your flickers mate may have died as well ending the breeding season for him/her and he came down early simply because there wasn’t enough time to breed either, or no mates could be found in time, just another possibility. not an expert or anything on this kind of stuff.
If you’ve had a drought or near-drought conditions, this will happen. The plants all go into survival mode.
Yes they will go into survival mode, which means that the output of seeds will be incredible so that they can survive. This is not happening. So, what do you now think might be happening? Thank you too Annie for your comment!
Hard to even envision Fall with the Summer heat so intense! Of course, my take on it is…BRING IT ON! 🙂
BTW catnipoflife’s sister site Awakenings has a gift for you . . . http://awakenings2012.blogspot.com/2013/07/dragons-loyalty-award.html
Many thanks! I kept trying to post a comment yesterday but something was not working right!
Bring what on? An early fall? Yes! Then I would have some great photos loaded with colors to do our project! 🙂
Definitely seems as though Autumn is approaching sooner than normal. Robins are returning, and they normally do that in September, and with the plants / trees already showing signs of change Fall may already be on its way.
Nice pics. The crazy weather we’ve been having, it wouldn’t surprise me if it started snowing in July! =)
Something is definitely off with the weather this year! This cannot be blamed on global warming!