Sunday, October 11, 2009

Autumn Maple Helicopter Dragonflies

The leaves are beginning to turn their Summer tresses in for showier fare. My Coral Bark maple is a shade of orange which is so vibrant it shimmers, it hurts the eyes, it hurts the brain to gaze too long at it, and yet I cannot tear my eyes away. It is beginning to acquire the pagoda-look I love so much about these delicate dainty Japanese maples, and although it is still quite small, not even three feet tall yet, it is every bit as lovely as I had hoped it would be when I planted it.

It's partner in crime, the Fern-Leafed Maple, while taller and wider, is also doing its' job displaying color in an area which had been devoid of any color besides grey and green. The Fern-Leafed Maple is dressed in deep burgundies and bright reds, her skirts flirt and skirl with every errant breeze, her leaves the size of my hands.

In between the two maples is my Rainbow Leucothoe, which I think I need to transplant. It is too far into the shade, and is not picking up the rich violet hues this evergreen shrub is noted for. Its' leaves swirl with chartreuse and creams, held erect with red stems. But it needs those violets and reds in the leaves to shine as it should.

These three are doing just exactly what I wanted them to, tho. Fall color, and Winter interest along the pond ridge.

At work today, the wind picked up and it has been quite cold. We're due for a bit of a freeze tonight, and I have some plants to protect in my garden. I have my paw-print beanie on, and chamois gloves. I've not been warm all day. I forgot my thermal socks. As I was walking out to show a customer a soil mix, the wind snatched up a load of maple seeds and tossed them hither and yon. They floated down on helicopter wings like whirlygigs, hundreds of them. They filled the air with silent flitting spinning dragonfly wings.

I let my Inner Child -never very far from the surface- out to play, to wonder, but none of the grown-ups around noticed the wee miracles spinning from the heavens like little post-it notes from God, and they were all too busy to wonder with me.

I'm sorry they missed it. I am glad I was watching.

>^,,^<

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