What started as a gentle wet snow earlier this afternoon is now less wet and more white, and coming down heavily. As the darkness gathers, the still-green grass (we’ve not had a frost yet) is beginning to turn a misty white. I expect when daylight returns, I will see no green, but a white blanket on the ground.
When I had some tree work done a couple of years ago, the arborist told me that the butternut tree near my horse shed was the largest and healthiest one he had ever seen in Berkshire County. The squirrels absolutely love the nuts, and one of its characteristics is that on the morning after the first frost, all its leaves come fluttering down to earth in a cascade of yellow splendor.
My farrier was here at mid-day, and when he saw me he remarked, “You don’t look like a happy camper!” I told him I was not ready yet for snow because my butternut tree had not even shed its leaves. He said, “Get used to it, because the winter forecast, given recent weather patterns, is for twice as much snow as last year!”
Morning update (Friday, October 28): As expected, I awoke to see, at first light, the first pure white covering of the season. Many plants were still in leaf, and even in bloom, since we had not had a frost till last night. Here are a few pictures of how things looked this morning here at Thyme Hill:
