Early days of autumn

It felt like fall this morning, chilly, gray, and blustery. It rained hard during the wee hours and may rain off and on all day. Warm weather is supposed to return for a couple of days tomorrow. A cold front will then bring us more rain. Sooner or later, the warm weather will be gone for good.

We moved the chickens up to the winter run last night. When day length drops below 14 hours, they don’t lay as often. We’re lucky to get three eggs a day from the five mature hens we have. One egg is not uncommon. They love running around the orchard, but we don’t feed them so they can have fun. They have a job to do. The pullets should begin laying soon.

Sadly, Bianca did not rally after her tormentors were removed from her life. We took her out of the little red barn as soon as we sent the mean chickens to the butcher. For two nights, she went under the coop at bedtime. I had to reach down there to pull her out and put her in the coop. Then she bedded down in a nest box for a few days. When she moved to the floor, I thought it was a good sign. Perhaps she was transitioning to the perch. I was wrong. She was on the floor because she lacked the strength to climb into the nest box.

One morning, I saw her lying by the feeder in the yard. I had to go out somewhere, but made a mental note to try to get her to eat more when I got home. Typically, by the time the errands were run, I had forgotten. Hilda found her dead when she went to get the eggs. As I said before, it is hard to tell what a chicken needs. I suppose we should have gotten therapy for Bianca. I don’t know any chicken therapists. Early in my chicken ownership, I learned that there aren’t even any veterinarians that treat chickens in this area. Chickens are considered dispensable.

With mean Juanita gone, Rosa Dolores’ tail feathers are finally growing back. She has a ways to go before her feathers are as long as Amelia’s.

Rosa Dolores' tail growing back

Amelia's normal tail feathers

Simone’s backside is looking less red. I’m not sure if the feathers are growing back. The bald spot may be getting smaller.

Simone's bald spot on her back seems to be getting smaller.

New England aster is the last flower to bloom. As the goldenrod fades, New England aster is the only game in town. On a sunny day, it buzzes with honey bees, bumblebees, solitary bees, flies, butterflies, beetles, and moths.

As much as I would like to think that my efforts to introduce native flowers has increased the diversity of pollinators, I have to acknowledge that these insects might seem new to me because I haven’t been paying attention. This beautiful butterfly is a common buckeye, although it is not common on our property. I’ve only seen one at a time.

Uncommon common buckeye

Painted ladies are everywhere.

Buckeye and painted lady

As are Sulphur butterflies.

Sulfur butterfly

This is the fiery skipper. Attracting Native Pollinators describes the way it holds its wings as a “double V.” It reminds me of a paper airplane. I had inferred from observation that skippers were named because they fly even more erratically than true butterflies. The Golden Guide to Butterflies and Moths says the name is because of their “skipping flight.”

Fiery skipper

This is a honey bee with leg baskets full of pollen.

Honey bee with leg baskets full of pollen

This metallic green insect might be a mason bee, a sweat bee, or a Chrysidid wasp. So many green insects!

Metallic green flying insect

I saw two flies mimicking bees. One way to tell them apart is by the eyes. Fly eyes are large enough to touch each other. Bee eyes are smaller.

This fly is a bee mimic, even though the stripes on its abdomen don't show up well in the picture.

This fly has fancy stripes on its thorax.

There were many other pollinators that would not hold still long enough for photos. We are all frantically putting up food for the winter.