The Times are a Changin

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The Pickerelweed has been blooming since late spring. The plant grows in boggy or swampy areas and is a native to the Americas. It attracts a wide range of insects and provides a special habitat for other aquatic life.
It generally begins to die back in September. The plant is a good candidate for any water garden and is generally rather carefree and winter hardy.
Speaking of winter, the times are changing and even know it's getting darker out earlier and earlier. It won't be long until school beels ring. So now is a good time to get out and enjoy Nature.
Discover more,  Pickerelweed

We added the third bee box about a week ago. The bees seem to be doing well. We got them on April 17. Currently, they are enjoying the goldenrod (pictured below), the boneset and pickerelweed along with the Joe Pye Weed, Cup Flowers and many other native wildflowers now in full bloom.
The bees know what is upcoming in a few months, the seasons are changing. They are storing the honey for winter use and making enough for us to enjoy.
Honey is a good, healthy all natural product

Discover more about the Goldenrod.

El Nino

Winter arrives on the calender on December 21, 2015 at 11: 48 p.m. According to NOAA, a powerful and historic El Nino is expected to influence the winter weather all across the United States and much of the world. For northwestern Pennsylvania, an El Nino weather pattern usually means a warmer and drier winter.
But this is Mother Nature and it;s rather difficult to make a bull's eye prediction. For more on the powerful weather system, El Nino

UPDATE: It would appear as if the Old Farmers' Almanc is predicting a fairly harsh winter. Read more at Winter

A Weather Comment

The Wooly Bear caterpillars are often cited for their winter predictions, But at this time, they really have not made an appearance. 
But it often snows well before the official starting date of winter, often around Halloween but certainly sometime right after deer rifle season opens in northwestern Pennsylvania opens after Thanksgiving (count on it). Historically, December, January, and into February it is always cold, blustery and very snowy. It never seems to go away. 
Winter ends when it wants too, despite Groundhog Phil's or any other animal's predictions. But the spring peeps always seem to emerge with warmer weather the last week of March as the wood pile is down to the last row and kindling is nowhere near the house.

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And Just for the Heck of IT

In the olden days, a common practice was for newlyweds to drink mead (honey wine) for one month to assure the birth of a son. Thus, the term “honeymoon”.