Sunday wonders - Y

Y is for Year.  The clues are all adding up: this year is slowly fading.

But, like the aging boomers, some plants seem to want to hang on to their youth.  I'm not sure why so many of the vine maples have these fresh-looking toupees perched on top of their bare branches. 

Others, like the blueberry bush, go out in a blaze of glory.  The whole garden glows just before these leaves fall to the ground.  Then, there's a bright carpet of red.

Some flowers just keep on keepin' on.  Even though the frost has come a couple of nights, there are still vibrant pink flowers, buds and green leaves on this hollyhock.

Now, the Beautyberry does exactly what it's supposed to be doing.  It produces exotic purple berries to feed the many birds that visit.  These berries will endure through the winter.  For some reason, and it may be timing, the robins do not eat them.  So, while the mountain ash berries are stripped off in a matter of days, these are eaten in a more thoughtful manner by smaller birds.

And, as if I hadn't got all those clues sent out by nature...here's the clincher:

I get an extra hour of sleep - totally unnecessary - and it will be dark sooner this evening.