I see signs of autumn everywhere. The leaves are turning color. The geese are more active. The hummingbirds and finches are having a daily feeding frenzy. The bees, butterflies and other garden insects are taking in all the food they can find.

The autumn perennials are in full bloom and the bees and butterflies are visiting them constantly. Every time I walk by them, it doesn't matter which ones, they are filled with insects.

I happened by the hops vine on my deck and noticed a stray branch growing through it from a shrub sprouting from under the deck. There were 11 caterpillars on the leaves! What fun it has been watching as nature prepares for fall. 

I came home today to find two spotted fawns in the backyard. The doe was still in the woods behind the yard. The young ones happened to venture into the yard while my 'deer sprinkler' was in the shed. I mowed the lawn and put it away, thinking that it wasn't needed anymore. It's been put back in the yard. I've still got vegies in the garden that I'm not willing to share with the deer just yet.

I visited the Biodiversity trail to see if the swan family was still around. I didn't see them but they could have been hiding in the reeds. I don't think the young ones are large enough to fly any great distance yet. I'll have to visit again this week to see if they are around.

If you've the opportunity to visit the trails or just wander in your backyard, watch for the signs of fall. There are things changing; big and small.

I stood in front of the kitchen window and watched an aerial fight in the backyard. There was a lot of diving and swooping going on. Another sign of autumn approaching appeared this week.

There are two hummingbird feeders and one oriole feeder in my yard. The orioles left when their young fledged so their feeder has been sitting with the same level of syrup for the past few weeks; until this week. I noticed that the feeder was almost empty. The hummingbirds have been in a feeding frenzy. They are preparing for their journey south.

A pair of ruby throated hummingbirds have been in the yard all summer. The motion in the yard that caught my eye had me watching four of them in action. I'm assuming that one pair were the regular visitors and the other pair were just stopping in for food.

They are very territorial and when one began to feed, another dived at it to chase it away. This continued for more than ten minutes. The divers came in swift and scolding. I could hear the chatter through the open window.

When one would give up on the nectar feeder and visit the scarlet runner bean flowers instead, it would get attacked again. There was no sharing of food happening on this day.

What a treat to watch these little birds in action. They will soon be gone to warmer climates and I'll have to wait another year to see these beauties again.

I've spent the past week enjoying the backyard. The fall perennials are in bloom and have created some new feeding areas for the bees and the butterflies.

I had the opportunity to rethink my front yard when undergoing new home construction a few years back. The ecoscaping done then is paying off as the butterflies and bees are being attracted by the beebalm, coneflowers, dogwood blossoms, false sunflowers and many natural flowers that came up on their own.

The bumblebees have worked tirelessly to remove pollen from each little beebalm petal. When done in that flower bed they move to the scarlet runner beans in the garden. I could see their plump little bodies sticking out of the bright red blossoms. The butterflies have shared the brilliant pink coneflowers with the bees. I watched the butterflies feed at the flowers and then perform their 'mating dance' amidst the dogwood branches.

The week brought a few days of rain; enough to fill all the rain barrels again. There were a few foggy mornings. I took advantage of the beauty that the fog left behind as it lifted. Tiny droplets of moisture clung to the leaves. They created little 'diamonds' that sparkled in the morning light.

The grasshoppers are abundant and seem to enjoy eating the blossoms off my petunias. The slugs have left their slimy trails over the rocks that border my garden paths. The caterpillars have been creating lacy edges on the shrub leaves.

I've left a tent set up in the backyard. Inside sits a camp cot with a pillow and a sleeping bag. It's my napping spot. There's nothing better than to curl up on the cot and listen to rain fall on the tent or hear the wind rustle the branches overhead. The rain and the wind are Mother Nature's sweet lullabies.

As I lay in the tent this afternoon I wondered what I'm going to do in a few months when the snow falls again. I may have to take up winter camping.

I visited a great little park last week for the first time. It's a hidden little gem on the outskirts of Wetaskiwin. 'By the Lake Park' provides a lovely space to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

The lake is home to pelicans, cormorants, ducks, geese and other waterfowl that were too far away to identify without binoculars. The pelicans swam in unison, dipping every now and again to fill their large bills with fish. The lake is stocked so if the birds leave any fish, you can head there with your fishing rod.

There is a little island in the middle of the lake. The day that I was there the cormorants were sunning themselves with the pelicans. Cormorants don't have oil on their feathers like other birds so they need to spread their wings to dry them out. There was a lot of wing spreading and flapping happening.

Benches are strategically placed so visitors can sit and watch the action on the lake. There are lots of tables for people to gather for picnics.

A man-made stream flows over the rocks, producing the wonderful sound of running water. A paved hiking/biking trail encompasses the lake, taking you past the stream before weaving through the trees.

The park is definitely on the list to visit again. If you are looking for a day trip destination; pack up a picnic lunch, grab your camera, put on the walking shoes and head out on the highway to Wetaskiwin.