...Not Over by a Long Shot!

For the past three days I've been out taking photos inspired by the fall...but especially inspired by the activity that the asters are attracting.  Yesterday, I got a huge surprise:  brand new monarch butterfly!  She was absolutely pristine!

Wing detail:

I was thrilled to see her, but she flew off after I took some pictures, I hate to think I scared her off...I was really hoping to see her the next day, but no luck...perhaps she had to go; she has a LONG journey ahead of her!

Today, I saw more pollinators and another species or two of butterfly.  ~smile~  As hard as I tried to show the amazing activity busying themselves all over the asters, the photos don't do it justice.

It *isn't* Over!

Despite the fact that we've dipped below freezing and most things are done blooming, the activity of pollinators is still going strong.  For the most part only the white asters are still blooming--at least one species is commonly called "frost aster" (I think), but I'm seeing the bumblebees, fly mimics, and other pollinators that I've been missing most of summer and fall.

The high biodiversity I'm seeing again makes me smile.

Finally in the Ground

The other day I got some plants together to share with a friend from work (yup, that is you, Stacie).  Aside from sharing some of the dwarf chinkapin oaks that I got earlier this year, I gave her a few asters--mostly from what I grew from seed.  I was surprised that some of the asters bloomed the first year.  Sharing some of the seedlings was the incentive I needed to get my wildflowers into the ground.  I always seem to do that so late in the season!

I chose to plant them in the plot near the road that I smothered
last year with wood chips.

Kind of crowded.

Well established roots--but not pot-bound.

Very crowded, but at least they are in the ground...in the spring,
I may choose to separate them some more.

I did break some off, separating them from the crowd, and filling
in other areas.

After planting the wildflower seedlings, I
decided to transplant some other wildflowers
from a thick patch that has spread in the past
three years or so.

The section that can become a before picture
once it grows in next year, I'll be able to see
where it all started.