The temperature was supposed to get into the mid to high 20Cs so I decided to head outside early in the day.  The sun was just rising above the trees and its light was making the dew drops glisten. The sun shining through the moisture on the leaves and flowers was beauty at its finest.  

The bees were were just waking and moving slowly due to the cool air.  I watched as they began to stretch their legs.  They didn't have far to go for food as they had slept overnight on the flower petals.

The ninebark shrubs were full of ladybugs that were tucked into the grooves on the leaves.  Dew drops covered their shells.

The slugs were making their way through the sedum beds, leaving their slimy trails behind them.

The big orb-weaver spider was huddled under the rim of my wheelbarrow. It was still too early for it to be active.

Watching the insect world wake up this morning was an opportunity that I don't get very often so I took full advantage of it.

 

 



 

This summer I decided to leave the ditch in front of my house 'au naturel', in other words 'not mowed'.  There was an abundance of red clover mixed in with the sedge grasses.  This little natural habitat provided many blossoms for the bees and lots of cool wet areas for the frogs. 

Some wild asters grew amidst the clover.  The bees appeared to love those flowers just as much as the clover.

I left a patch of clover in the backyard as well.  Every time I sat in my willow chair by the fire pit, I could hear the honey and bumble bees buzzing beside me.

The yard was filled with insects this year; good and bad.  The aphids made themselves at home on some of the shrubs but that meant that there were lots of lady bugs as well.

The grasshoppers were abundant.  As I walked through the yard, they would fly up from the gravel paths.  Most were light brown in color, matching the color of the rock.  I did not to see them until they jumped out of the way before my boot came down.

I have a day off tomorrow and the sun is supposed to be shining so I plan on spending the day in my yard; prepping it for winter and enjoying the final blooms.