Our fall, such as it is, has been rather unsettled at the ranch, as it generally is, courtesy of Mother Nature and weather patterns that sometimes overcome the strange breakwater/Bermuda Triangle we have here, but mostly do not. This means we have had daily high temperatures reach 90F on some days but only reach 60F on others – sometimes from one day to the next. On the upside, it’s generally fairly stable each day in the mid-70F range, which gets the girls out of their hives, looking for whatever is still blooming nearby.

One of those things still continuing to bloom right here in our plantings is, of all things, basil. Basil is a heat-loving plant, and I usually let it bolt because the bees (and other pollinators) will go to it. Here’s one of the lemon basil plants that has gone to seed, but still has flowers here and there.

Tiny flowers, yes, but there all the same.

Why mention all of this? To help point out how weird the weather is this year. Basil will readily self-seed if  you let it go, as I do. Usually by this time of the year, the seeds will not germinate, as the temperatures are not ideal. This year, though…

Yes, those are tiny basil babies that will, under the right conditions, become very large, very healthy basil plants.

Lots of babies. Will the moderate weather allow these tiny things to grow up, or will Mother Nature decide there has been enough of that, and abruptly bring winter in to visit? We’ll see.