Seasonality is astoundingly rapid from my perspective of being away for a week. In just that time goldeneyes began to bloom beside the paths, frostweed and goldenrod faded, Turk's cap flowers became red fruits, and the year's last broods of butterflies emerged. Sumacs always initiate the forest's palate of autumn colors, and flameleaf sumac shouts its name now, while smooth sumac is quietly purple. Poison ivy stands out sufficiently in red that I can spot and pull its runners from the path, but fragrant sumac is just beginning to turn shades of yellow, orange, and scarlet.

Goldeneyes bloom profusely only after there is a real nip in the air. They decorate edges, particularly fencelines, trails, and temporary openings created by treefall or bulldozer. I'm grateful for their successional tendency to fill barren spots with golden cheerfulness, often accompanying frostweed and, like it, growing six feet tall. Butterflies love the flowers too. Today's eager feeders include dogface sulphurs with characteristic French poodle images on their forewings and a dozen migratory monarchs. Altogether, it is a fantastic, golden autumn day.