PRECOCIOUS COLOR - A maple leaf along the trail to the beaver pond shows early fall color. Autumn foliage that appears early could be a result of moisture stress - in our case, too little water. It has been very dry in southern New Hampshire causing some early fall color and the need to keep our garden watered daily.

BLACKBIRD? - A couple of female Red-Winged Blackbirds showed up under the feeders. Aside from the beak shape and size - the females look nothing like the males - and don't look black at all. It is called sexual dimorphism when sexes of the same species look dramatically different. It is usually the case in dimorphism that the male has flashy colors, but with Red-Winged Blackbirds, I think the females are much prettier than the males.

GRIDLEY RIVER SKY - We got off the hill lo have a picnic on the Gridley River, just down the road from our house. Nice float on a hot July day.