Old leaves and tools for the season

[From October 2018]
Out to the Woods' SW Gate for a quick break from reading and office work. I took my old swing blade, thinking I could clear the path through the Polygonum knot weed east of Butterfly corner, where the thinning elm canopies let in the light. Under the closed canopy of the big trees more leaves have come down.. not just the serrate edge elm leaves; now there are butter yellow rounded leaves of green ash. The canopy is still solidly there, mostly green.. no streaming leaves falling from the sky; but leaf drop is increasing.

I had not used the swing blade in a number of years. It worked well for the task.. less fuss and annoyance than a loud weed-whacker. Sunday morning and the Woods were pretty quiet.. two whitetailed deer down by the beaver dam. It was dry and hot for late October.. the low 80's in the midday shade. No turtles or signs of other wildlife.. a few nymphalid Question Mark butterflies.