Chestnut Trees are the First to Whisper Fall

I know right where they live-those tall bandits that try to steal the last bit of summer and point their tired leafy branches towards fall. I don’t think they mean to rob us of summer, they just like to remind us to get ready - autumn is on its way. There are experts who try to blame it on leaf miner moth infestations, fungal leaf diseases, and drought stress but every year I see the same thing- those horse chestnut leaves browning, bowing out of summer’s glory days and pointing us to the change of seasons.

The curve on Scuttle Hole Road is a stretch of Horse Chestnut reality, a visual bridge toward fall, a reminder to enjoy the warm summer days.

To some in threadbare tourist destinations this may be a welcome sign - visions of boots and turtlenecks, quiet nights, apple picking and pumpkins- dancing through their heads. For others the thought of shorter days and chilly nights sets in a bout of seasonal despair -knowing all of the trees will soon follow suit in a timely manner piling their summer’s finest on lawns and along the roadsides.

I try not to get too emotional about things that I cannot change and I actually enjoy looking for signs of the seasons that are knocking at our door. August 1st is the day that is exactly midway between fall and summer so we still have a good deal of summer to relish ahead. Many feel that September and October are indeed the finest months on the East End -they’re like having one foot in summer while the other is in fall and this confluence holds a double dose of possibilities.

Waters are still warm, traffic slows, and our pace is not as frantic trying to fit it all in.

There is an intrinsic excitement that the seasons instigate- and a keen awareness of the miracle of our ever-spinning planet. I look forward to it all-why lambast fall for its unavoidable appearance- each day, regardless of the weather, or the number of hours of sunlight, or the fading foliage - is a gift no matter how you decide to unwrap it.

There indeed is a lot that those chestnut trees are trying to tell us.

I had taken this picture of the chestnut tree-the one that inspired this blog- at the corner of the Custom House a week ago and went back yesterday to update the browning of the leaves-and the tree was gone! I think that tree must have been there longer than we have-I wonder why it was cut down?