We have had more Indian Summer days this season than for the last 10. A fleeting freeze followed up by days of balmy weather confuses not only people but the plants surrounding us.
The first seasonal misfit I find is a lone buttercup emerging from the bed of wild strawberry leaves surrounding it. Its tiny yellow flower points toward the sun, a bit shy to open, seeking pollinators and assurances that the warm temperatures will remain.
Some of the strawberries have already moved beyond the flowering stage, however. Juana’s Thomas Jefferson (Alpine) strawberries are not only filled with flowers but delivering tiny albeit immature berries. Unusual to say the least.
A lone dandelion flower pops up from one of the many clumps in the lawn. Perhaps the premature emergence of a flower gives me one less to weed this coming Spring.
And finally, as it does happen sometimes in the Fall, buds from a spray rose transform into lovely little flowers reminding me of the seasons to come.
