Signs of a Cape Cod fall...

Here on the Cape we don't get the glorious fall colors of northern and western New England but we do get lots of our own beautiful if more subtle colors....

We get little spots of scarlet...

birds like these tree swallows gathering on trees with golden leaves....

Changing leaves posing with their own dark shadows over still water....

Lovely patterns to enjoy close up....

And the incredible changing of color in the salt marshes, first showing up with the salicornia, or salt pickle, turning orange, red and scarlet...

It may not have the majesty of the mountains but it does give its own sweet and salty touch to our autumn landscape....

Bald Faced Hornets do not tell bald faced lies...

sorry, couldn't resist that one...

There's a bald faced hornet's nest right out in plain view in this tree...do you see it?

Pretty sneaky, huh? It's about halfway up and way to the left of the tree--just left of center in the photo.

Here's a closer view....

Bald faced hornets and paper wasps both build paper nests or hives. At this time of year their nests begin to be easier to find and see but I wouldn't recommend taking them down or heaven forbid, whacking at them with a stick! What doesn't look active could be very, very active indeed and you could be very, very sorry!

Both the bald faced hornet and the paper wasp can actually be very beneficial in the garden yet many people are so frightened of being stung by them that they want the nests removed and the insects killed. Please check out some of the information provided on these websites about bald faced hornets and paper wasps to better understand them.

In winter the wasps and hornets that remain become dormant and it is the best time to either remove or destroy nests. If you leave them be you may be lucky enough to witness the neighborhood birds, especially tufted titmice, methodically tear the nests apart to eat the dormant bees and the young for a little winter protein. It doesn't take them long at all and it is quite a show as you may have dozens of birds show up to work at the nest.

More fall flowers....

There's something sort of bittersweet about the last flowers of summer and early fall....

Asters abound....

and come in many colors...

some flowers have one last bloom like these mallows...

and these cardinal flowers....

There are a few small sunflowers still blooming, looking lovely against a backdrop of goldenrod...

and then there is this flower, that I don't know the name of....

but which is so beautiful....

This is the time to get out and enjoy the last of the flowers....some will be around a few weeks longer but sadly most will be gone by mid October...

Autumn Beach

The beach looks and feels different once fall sets in.

The sky is more dramatic, the water is darker and the sand takes on a grayer tone....Migrating shorebirds like this semi-palmated plover are still passing through....The seaside goldenrod is in bloom.....And gulls like these ring billed gulls are arriving for the winter.....The photos in this post are from Corporation Beach in Dennis, Cape Cod