A (Very) Slight Chill In the Air

"Bunny Hill" garden in mid-summer

In October, there are a few last minute things to do to complete the putting-the-yard-to-bed job begun in September. I finished drying and storing herbs, some grass seed was spread, house plants that got to enjoy the great outdoors came back inside. The gardens may look barren, but they're very much alive and just waiting for spring. Bean Hill's plants and people all get to enjoy a little down-time.

"Bunny Hill" garden in mid-Autumn

October is the month when we usually have the first hard freeze. On October 26, the night-time low dipped into the upper 20's, and that put an end to the growing season. This is the month we often see the first snow flurry, and on the morning of October 30, the rain briefly turned to snow before turning back to rain. The flurries melted on contact with any surface, but it still counts as snow, at least here at Bean Hill.

October is also the month when migrating red-wing blackbirds stop by for a day or two, on the flight south, to take advantage of the native plant and human-provided food sources. When they are about to resume their trip, they gather by the hundreds in the tops of trees, and make quite a racket with their distinctive whistling for an hour or so. All at once, they fall silent--every one of them--and then it's lift-off, and goodbye until the end of February.

Frosted zinnia

For you statistics followers: The warm second-half of September led into an October in which sixteen days registered daytime temperatures of 6-17° above normal. Eleven of those days were 12-17° higher than average, a substantial departure from the norm. The average high temperature at Bean Hill this October (69°) was four degrees higher than the historic average.

Eighteen night-time temperatures were above average, with eight of those being 15-20° higher than normal. Despite eight nights of temperatures well above average, the month's average low (46°) was only one degree higher than the historic average.

Rainfall totaled 3.66", which was 1.05" above average. Personally, I'd rather see above average rainfall (as long as it doesn't get carried away), than below average. Drought scares me more than mud and mold.

Red-wing blackbirds gather and then...

The migration resumes