On the Path -- October 15th, 2011

I finally made it back to "my" path for a walk and to soak up whatever fall had to offer closer to home. There aren't any vistas on the path but there are lots of snippets of fall nonetheless.

Though we may look for the reds & oranges, most leaves it seems are greens & yellows.

 

But when you come across Sugar Maples, they draw you in like no other trees can.

Ideally we want perfect leaves to photograph but even those that aren't perfect have a color mix that shouts at me, "Take my picture".

The woods at the top of the path lead down a slope to a creek.

1000s of leaves fall into the creek. Here, a branch in the creek gathers 100s until a stronger water flow will eventually release them... or they freeze in place.

 

The view on the way back up from the creek.

Some green leaves join the carpet of leaves on the forest floor, in a rush to join their mates.

 

One section of the woods is dominated by Beech & Oak trees, making for a mostly brown section of the carpet of leaves.

Though I always look for the brighter colors, I find the greens offer a beauty of their own.

Sumach isn't always a brilliant red... but even so it's beautiful.

I love the burgandy shades of these leaves. They're plentiful at the top of the path but I never have been able to identify them.

I had an umbrella over me for a good part of the walk today. The rain on these wild grapes make them an even brighter shade of blue.

The next two shots show a contrast in colors. This leaf is large... about 9" from bow to stern with a gorgeous range of colors.

This one has soft, muted shades in the burgandy/brown range but the raindrops caught my eye.

I'm looking forward to getting out this week to try to capture more expansive views of the fall colors. They come but once a year and come & go oh so quickly. Even though the process has been going on for millions of years, every year offers something new.

Maybe I've already missed the best of them... hopefully not.

- fini -