Abnormalities in Southern Indiana

[cevans]

Anybody seeing differences in growth of your surroundings, gardens, flowers, and the way wildlife is acting? Here, in Indiana, we have had lots of rain this spring and summer to make our growth of the gardens, flowers, farm fields, and underbrush in the woods, more than normal. However, in the last week or two, we have lost more than half of our hummingbirds, and they normally don't leave before mid Sept. Our gardens have all of the sudden quit growing and turning brown abruptly. Persimmons are falling off the trees in the bunches, either green or purple looking (rotten). No yellowjackets or hornets hitting the hummingbird feeders at all or any sightings from last years extremely cold winter. Butterflys quit mating about a month ago and are done. Dogwood trees have red berries on the tops of them and midway down the berries are black and falling off. We have black locust trees, ash, sycamore trees, summack, and yellow poplar as well as poison ivy turning colors with leaves falling off the trees too early. Autumn Olive bushes are loosing leaves and berries also so its going to be hard on the birds this year. We have squirrels cutting leaves and small tree limbs making nests like crazy and that is way too early. Bucks are hearded up in 3's and 5 to a group and that is more than a month too early that I am seeing, and we have does still dropping lots of fawns from late breeding as well. All of the wife's flowers in her flower gardens are turning brown like they are done growing with her sunflowers already having dropped their seeds even. We had the coolest July in the history of Indiana also that can attribute to this. Where my wife works several diff. farmers at different times past couple of weeks has come into her work site and complained as well, and their comment is, we are going to have a very early fall, bad winter, especially with January being a lot colder and more snowy than last year. I don't know what is going on, but most of the farmers here, cause of the rain and cool weather, have only gotten 1 cut of hay so far as well and are behind on that too. Corn and beans are exceptional so far but along way to go before its harvestable. What is your take? And how is it going around you? Around here, it looks like fall is kicking in and no stopping it even tho its 6 weeks or so early.

[xcaliber]

I live across the road from a large set of woods, and have lots of leaves falling, and blowing into our lawn. Same thing wife the flowers here too, seems like they stopped growing this past week. I have some burning bushes on the property, and they usually turn dark green before turning red, this occurs late August, it has already started.

[cevans]

Also lots of big does, either running in groups or singles, and not one fawn or yearling with them either. nothing as its like they didn't even get bred last season.

[JPjunkie]

Seeing a lot of triplettes with the does and Im glad its gonna be colder Maybe I can hunt in October in camos instead of shorts And maybe just maybe I can hang my deer for a day or two without it rotting from the heat Bring on the COLD

[Riflemanz]

Weatherman said it's supposed to be a cooler fall than normal here in Wisconsin.Thats fine with me!

[Deerstalker]

Here in NC I have several pictures of skinny deer like this one and we have had a wet spring/summer.

I have my feeders out but they don't seem to be getting all of that much attention this year.

The deer in Iowa look pretty healthy.
http://thecrush.tv/deer-cam

[cevans]

I like the cold weather too. I also like packing away lots of persimmons for the wife to cook into pudding and cookies. I think the loss of the berries and seeds tho is going to hurt the bird population in the long run. The turkeys, quail, and grouse that rely on the autumn olive and dogwood as well as other seeds. Acorns dropping off red oaks so far around here in places,,too early for that even for the deer and turkey. I prefer to hunt the oak mast areas as long as there are nuts. Another colder than normal winter is harsh on the wildlife even tho we like to hunt in the cold. Just wondered if the same thing is happening in your areas you hunt?

[Mo wannabe]

It seems here in southeast MO we haven't had much of a summer at all so far I'm not complaining , but them grand kids been telling me how cold the swimming pool water is and it's pretty bad to need a light jacket at sunrise in July around here

[Waif]

Bucks often run in bachelor groups around here all summer. Deer came out of winter skinny for quite a while and seen a couple awful small fawns a week ago.
Flowers aging yes. Our ten year old lily out doors has five flowers this year,the most ever.Roses done last week. The native and long established weeds like plantain are maturing a little early. Mullein about done,goldenrod is flowering,sumac coming on.Haying been good, getting it cut dried and baled without a shower sneaking in has been a challenge and harder for those who work it on weekends.Corn varied with some doing real well, one field well tasseled .. Dry as of late seems to be speeding things along . See you got rain we missed yesterday. Did not ask the neighbor whose property the bumble bees nested on last year if he killed them. We had hundreds and though the queen over winters and starts a new colony come spring only a few around this year so wonder if she made it. The fly catchers,the grey and feathers sticking backwards from top of head are busy and may be why hornets are down. We north of you are a little ahead of schedule,not too far from normal and the wet spring may have bumped up growth.Fall will factor too but seems good so far.
No acorns yet or poplars dropping leaves like fall .Squirrels hitting maple helicopters off ground from months ago now and then out front in the sandy soil.

[grouse]

Here at my home in metro St. Louis it has been a cool but dry July but earlier moisture seems to have sustained the vegetation. I water my tomato plants often and they have produced abundant large tomatoes. We have a farm in northeast MO and our corn crop is the best I have ever seen. There has been more rain up there and the vegetation is lush and green. I have seen a lot of does and fawns up there this summer. The deer I have seen seem to be of a healthy size.

I like the colder weather too, but I wouldn't bet on another cold and snowy winter. The rest of the world experienced above average temperatures over the past year and we were the lucky minority. This coming fall and winter will probably be a lot warmer than last.

[884savage]

I live in southern Indiana. I grow a garden and sell produce at a farmers market. My tomatoes and corn did fantastic this year. The corn was the best production I've ever had. One thing I noticed between Greenville and Jasper was that field corn was WAY behind this spring and early summer. Soy beans did horrible. I thought it was odd my garden did so well, but everything else appeared poor. Some local fields did all right, but most have under performed. As for bachelor groups, I usually see bucks grouping up in early May right as turkey season ends. Where I hunt they typically are busting those groups up a month from now. I personally don't watch the hummingbirds, so I can say nothing about them. Overall, I haven't noted anything too abnormal. Cooler than an average year? Yes, it's been cooler than normal for over a year now...Al Gore's fault I'd guess. I haven't felt like anything has been too bizarre.

[cevans]

Our corn has 2 ears on lots of the fields and its super tall this year. Farmers are taking a good look at the late planted beans with their fingers crossed but the early beans are doing fantastic. Lots of gardens from diff. people is done way to early,,,growing. I live in a big woods and am seeing the native crops previously mentioned in a weird transition way too early for the wildlife to benefit from. Finding lots of hickory nuts, walnuts, and now green acorns hitting the ground and that is even early for here as well as all the wild cherry had dropped off the trees about 3 weeks ago and it was very abundant, but shouldn't have dropped that early from the trees. We have had more than ample rain this year for our undergrowth to be above normal in the woods and along some of the edges of the woods,,its already turning. So is the honeysuckle at the bottoms turning brown as well. I am now down to 2 hummingbird feeders, from 6,,lasting 3-4 days as normally filling 6 per day with the birds we normally have but are now gone. Way to early for them to head south, but they have. I normally keep 2 feeders out till mid Oct. for the stragglers heading south. Can't stop the change that is happening, just wanted to post it as its happening here and shouldn't. Our gardens should keep producing and growing till end of Aug before slowing down if you know what I mean. I found a persimmon tree loaded with green persimmons yesterday, that hasn't lost any and can't figure out what is happening to all the others that are dropping and shouldn't.

[884savage]

My only other observation with the persimmons is that they can drop all summer long. There are 2 trees along the road near my house that have dropped by now every year with good, ripe, ready to eat persimmons. I stop and pick them up every year. I also pick some up from a different farm every year as late as November. They can drop at totally different times. I'm sure you're noting just the ones at your place. Things are a bit early. Would personally love to not see another 90 degree day this year. If you recall, we had some really low 50 degree temps about 2-3 weeks back. I'd bet that has a tremendous amount to do with everything you're observing.

[xcaliber]

We have a grocery store here on the edge of town that backs up to a farm field that is about 14 acres. It runs between two well traveled main roads, and I have never seen deer in them fields during day light hours for over 30 years, until this morning. I hope we are not in store for another winter like last one!

[frisky]

My take on July, it was to damm DRY. Little or no rain. My lawn is hard as a brick with wide cracks!