Stranger and stranger or is it curiouser and curiouser?

After reading a post by earthgirl on her blog The Good Earth I questioned her about one of the photos, the one with striking yellow flowers on a plant with fall leaves that had turned purple. She replied that it was a forsythia that decided to bloom in fall. I hadn't seen this phenomenon before so I thought it strange and beautiful at once.

I was contemplating digging out a witch hazel for transplantation because it occupied a prime warm location for less hardy zone 7 plants i.e. camellias and stewartias I was thinking of planting there. I am in zone 6 and this is the most sheltered spot in the whole yard. The camellias planted there are barely surviving, especially a C. sasanqua which I learned is only hardy to zone 9 and above! No wonder there was a great die back. But that's another story.

Looking closely at the witch hazel I noticed it was already covered with yellow flowers. This is way too early and stranger still, this is supposed to be a red flower variety which blooms in Jan. or Feb.! What's going on here. Unless I'm really getting batty, something weird is happening. I know it's Halloween but this is ridiculous. Global warming perhaps...


Here's the same witch hazel with red flowers. I didn't think I was imagining things.