There are seasons, and then there are seasons within seasons. The final three weeks of summer that define the month of September provide vivid proof of the latter.
Banded Woolly Bear caterpillar, the larval stage of a tiger moth
Sulphur butterflies probing for nutrients in the wet, trampled soil of a cow pasture
Chicken of the Woods fruiting body (fried in butter by the landowner after I captured it alive!)
Monarch caterpillar feeding on Common Milkweed
A “fresh” Monarch nectaring on New England Aster (a September staple) in a weedy meadow
A good crop of Red Oak acorns has this squirrel busy all day long!
A young cottontail, now about half the size of its parents
Gray Dogwood, a favorite fuel of migrating birds like robins and catbirds
Most bucks rub their antlers free of dried velvet during the first three weeks of September, an event triggered by decreasing day length and increased testosterone
Foraging wildlife in a hay field in fading light (September 18 – the same date and location as the previous image)
Lastly, a message from my friend’s milk house kittens: Thanks for visiting!!!
Photos by NB Hunter (September, 2018). © All rights reserved.
Nick's Nature Pics 
Nick, this is a wonderful post. Let me know if it would be ok for me to put the colourful fungus up as a single-image post for the purpose of encouraging my followers to visit this amazing post! Just let me know if its ok, no need to respond otherwise 🙂 I’d clearly credit and link, as you know.
Please feel free to do so. Thanks!
Cheers Nick. Published https://exploringcolour.wordpress.com/2018/09/21/chicken-of-the-woods-by-nick-hunter/
Fantastic photos, Nick, and what a great way to highlight this season within a season.
Thanks Jet. The natural rhythms and phenomena of changing seasons are powerful, and difficult to capture in a handful of pictures.
Absolutely beautiful photos, very appropriate for the changing season. Those kittens are adorable!
Thanks Hien! I’m under considerable pressure from the lovers of cats and cute to publish a post featuring just the 5 barn kittens. Guess I better follow up. 🙂
This post has been worth waiting for: your photographs are exquisitely beautiful and varied – such a joy to look at!
Continuously stellar photography I especially enjoyed the milk house kitten at the end
Many thanks for rewarding me for my efforts with these uplifting comments! Saunda, I shall do a “barn kittens” post soon. I prefer wild subjects but can rationalize the subject with their behavior – only one of the 5 kittens is approachable. The others scurry into the cover of vines on the milk house, then peek out with the look of miniature wild cats. 🙂
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Fantastic photos. Your posts are always worth waiting for.
Thanks Judith! Always enjoy feedback from the great state of “Missoura”.
Wonderful series, Nick. Nature’s wonders seen through your lens. So much beauty! Chicken of the Woods, the Monarch and Caterpillar and the Gray Dogwood are standouts among these gems.
Jane, your comments are really appreciated and inspiring. We’re on the same page as far as the visual impact of the “standouts” in the series. Many thanks.
Hi Nick,
Hi Nick,
I have really enjoyed all your beautiful Photos. You do a great job in doing them. I hope you and Maxine are both doing well. I am still able to get about and still drive. I am very fortunate.
Hi! We’re thrilled to hear that you are doing so well. You’re a very important part of our history and maintaining this connection means a lot. We’re good. By the way, I had you in mind when I added the kitten to my story! 🙂 Blessings from CNY.
From first to last these were all delightful in their way… though the kitten seemed to steal the show with cuteness! Yay! I finally found a source for local milkweed. Is it true that wooly bears predict the weather for the coming winter? 🍃
Nice pictures of the feral kittens/ bucks. I also really like the lighting in the rabbit photo.
Hi Nick – So glad I found you and these beautiful photos
Whoa. What a pleasant surprise! Your timing was good – this was a post close to my heart, and home. Have thought about you often and hope all is well. A followup might be fun?! If you wish: hunternb@morrisville.edu
Gorgeous pictures!