Summertime in Paris #5

It's still summertime in Paris, but something strange is occurring in the nearby Tuileries garden.  

We walk frequently in the garden.  Over the past month, we have noticed many of the trees turning brown and dropping leaves--LOTS of leaves.  

  

We suppose the weather--very hot with little rain--has stressed the trees.  With little water, the trees are reacting like they would in Autumn, conserving their energy by storing food and water in their roots and depriving their leaves of nourishment.  

As a result, it looks like Autumn has arrived early in the Tuileries garden.  

Brown leaves have covered the ground and paths of the garden.  The leaves are already being raked into piles and removed.  

We wondered if there is an animal that signals the early arrival of Autumn, like the groundhog signals a long Winter or early Spring.

Because the groundhog already has a job, perhaps the écureuil (squirrel) is an appropriate choice.  We have seen écureuils already squirreling away their nuts.  

The red squirrel of France

Here's hoping for a long Summer.

Thanks for visiting the Tuileries garden with us.