This is what post-peak fall looks like in Greensboro. As you start looking closer, beyond the fall colors in the leaves, you notice the imperfections in the leaves. In both the brown and the yellow and red leaf, something has been busy eating through them. Especially in the leaf on the right, you notice the hole in the middle and the lines on the left. We're not sure what bug made the lines. They look like the lines of leaf miners; however, leaf miners-- the larval stage of moths, beetles, sawflies, wasps, etc.- usually leave behind a leafy veil. It is fascinating to think that nature is hard at work all around us while we are busy buying groceries, doing dishes, and heading to and from work.
Recently, the City of Greensboro decided not to collect leaves blown to the street. They are encouraging us to rake leaves to beds and not bag them. If you need to get rid of them, it is necessary to use the containers supplied by the city. If there is overflow, special brown paper bags are acceptable. We are in a position to rake ours to the side of the lawn and derive great pleasure walking around seeing just what is happening in nature-- hidden in plain sight. We really haven't had a hard frost yet so leaves are still lingering on trees. Maybe they are waiting for a frost. Even collards like cold temperatures to sweeten their flavor as the starches convert to sugar; another natural process happening all around us.
Happy Monday!
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