The Winery in Autumn and Zelus (again)

We spent a large part of the afternoon at a nearby winery.  But before I write about that, there are a few shots I took in the yard this morning that I want to show you.  The last (probably, anyway) lupine flower is a bright spot in the front flower bed when most other flowers are history.  And I found the very same Zelus assassin bug nymph is still on the very same oak leaf!  Even after we had almost 2 inches of rain in less than 2 hours and lots of wind the other night.  Once again it posed obligingly for me, giving good views of its pointed rostrum and red eyes.  I was also surprised to see a fairly fresh looking red admiral flitting around in the cool morning sunshine.

But signs of autumn are all around us.  The milkweed is beginning to disperse its seed.  I love the silky shininess of the hairs that keep the seeds aloft when the wind blows them.  The bright red leaves are on a euonymous that I just planted last week in front of the house.  Soon the whole bush will be afire.  Along the country roads leading to the winery we spotted the fall asters blooming next to red sumac, golden rod, and what looked like brown-eyed susans.

We visited the winery (Salem Glen Vineyard) with some friends.  The vineyard is barely 4 miles from our house.  This is the first time we have been there, but it will not be the last.  We had a wine tasting and enjoyed them all, even bought a few bottles to take home with us!  Below is a picture I took from the deck at the tasting room.  A few of their vines are in front of a small observatory.

We came back to our house and had more wine with a variety of cheeses, olives, pears, apples, out on our patio; a great way to spend an autumn afternoon.