This morning (November 18th) I was getting ready to leave for work and noticed that one of my remaining hibiscus plants had produced a new blossom. I thought there was some potential, but I really was not counting on any new flowers from those plants at this late point in autumn. For context, the first hibiscus plants I had stopped producing flowers and died in mid-October when the first freeze hit as it often does in my corner of Arkansas. Last year's hibiscus plants were productive until near the end of October, but that's still within the bounds of what I would expect for a normal autumn here. We may or may not get a freeze this week. I'm thinking maybe before Thanksgiving at this point. In one sense, I'm not complaining. Hibiscus flowers are beautiful. So are the other varieties of flowers in the various flowerbeds around the house. In another sense, I am reminded that autumns like this year's may become increasingly the new normal as our planet's climate continues to warm, which is very concerning, to put it mildly.
