The first frost

The first frosty morning this year turned the world into a magical place.

 Mist over the rhine.

 Diamonds coating every leaf.

 Jeweled necklaces bedecking the hedgerows,

spider's webs and sparkling crystals creating beautiful sculptures of common hogweed,

and the wild rose stems.

Then the sun shone, and the spell was broken.

Bountiful September Mornings

Some sunny mornings this month mean more kingfisher spotting, and watching a poor buzzard being harassed by two magpies!  I spotted deer tracks by the rhine, but no sign of their makers. There's early autumn abundance everywhere,  with berries, fruits, nuts and seeds,  but summer is still holding on.

The scent of aniseed from wild fennel fills the air as you  brush past.

Summer flowers still bloom everywhere,  like hedge woundwort,

and golden melilot.

Common blue butterflies are enjoying summer's last fling.

 Berries,  berries everywhere! I think this is the Common Whitebeam, Sorbus Aria, showing off.

Meanwhile, the herons are catching plenty of fish!

And beautiful seed heads are appearing in huge numbers, including some of my favourites, Traveler's Joy,  hemlock and and common hogweed. They have such an amazing structure.