Meteorological Autumn

September 1 marks the beginning of meteorological autumn.Meteorologists reckon seasons by calendar months,rather than astronomical phenomena.Its a way of rounding things off,and may more closely reflect seasonal reality over a broad geographical area.For example,the beginning of September will show substantial seasonal change in the Northern U.S.,though astronomical autumn is some weeks off.
In the Middle Atlantic region,Canada goldenrod has now come into bloom,and many American robins have moved on from their breeding territories.It can still be quite hot,but the plants and wildlife are experiencing change from the noticeably shorter days,if nothing else.Meteorological autumn makes good sense from their perspective.

Early Signs

Some early signs of seasonal change are appearing in the Mid-Atlantic region.One of them is fall webworm.This relatively harmless insect,the caterpillar of a moth,drapes its webs over leaves beginning in the middle of August.Another sign is premature turning.Here and there,isolated leaves are changing color,shutting down early because of stress-especially dryness.Ragweed,a native plant that causes allergic reactions,is popping up now.Fortunately,it is shallowly rooted and easily pulled.Old field aster and Canada goldenrod have matured,but may not be quite ready to bloom.Small acorns are becoming noticeable on oak branches.

Pulling Goldenrod

The oldest garden had a lot of Canada goldenrod coming up,so I got down to pulling it up.It's a native plant,but it tends to take over.Aster isn't quite so aggressive.Goldenrod forms big patches of plants.It doesn't know when to stop.