Tag Archives: Autumn

10.26.2023 A spot of color on the Holyoke Mountain Range

While shooting the larger landscapes of the fall display from Mount Pollux, I tried to zoom in on some of the pockets of color. The tops of the …

10.26.2023 A spot of color on the Holyoke Mountain Range

A stunning autumn scene from Stephen Gingold. The nature photos on his site are gorgeous, so I hope you click the link above to take a look.

Late Bloomers

There are still lots of late bloomers around.

Coneflowers

They’re getting lost a bit in the abundant colour show that our trees and bushes are putting on right now, but they are still pretty and lovely to see.

Echinacea

These flowers were in a neighbourhood garden bed, many of which still look appealing despite their seasonal decline.

Coneflowers

Happy Wednesday.

Maple Tree Brilliance

The sugar maples are such brilliant colour combinations right now. Enjoying a walk means also enjoying the glow from these trees – a wonderful autumn gift.

There are reds, greens, oranges and yellows on the same tree or a succession of trees – a stunning sight.

They don’t last long, but my, what a show!

Happy Tuesday.

Delighted Duckies

Someone stopped at the year-round duck community next to the creek to drop off some veggies and grain for them.

They were in duck dinner heaven. No scavenging for bugs tonight!

These ducks forage mostly on their own but people will supplement their diet with carrots, peas, cabbage, cooked pasta and quinoa, all of which are good nutritional choices for them. Feeding them bread or crackers really isn’t good for them as they apparently gain weight easily and this affects their ability to walk.

Happy Monday.

The Leaves Are Leafing

Well, more accurately, leaving.

They are everywhere and in huge numbers, swirling and crunching.

I love this colourful ground detritus, a profuse panoply of underfoot leaves that bring a smile in the weather that’s beginning to turn a bit colder now.

It’s a lovely golden, red, orange and yellow mess that’s completely environmentally safe.

But good-bye summer; as we start to experience more invigorating temperatures, we’re looking forward to seeing you again soon.

Autumn Hydrangeas

I recently found a small group of red hydrangeas happily blooming in a protected corner spot next to a public building.

Red hydrangeas are not very common, but this little patch is very colourful. One bloom was a light purple, but all the others were raspberry red. I learned that this is likely a “red cardinal” hydrangea.

The soil in this particular spot must be quite alkaline, as that is what’s needed to bring out this bright shade.

The red and green almost looks a bit winter-seasonal, but I’m glad that in this hemisphere, we’re still enjoying autumn.

Happy Friday.

Honey Locust Trees

The honey locust or thorny locust tree is native to North America and in earlier times was an important food source for some indigenous peoples.

Honey locusts lining a path next to Okanagan Lake.

The flat bean pods that this tree produces contain a very sweet pulp and the seeds can be used to make flour.

The dark-coloured bean pods are long, flat and curly.

This tree is extremely hardy and will survive droughts, poor soils and even the cold winters of the far north. The wood derived from them is also of good quality and high durability.

A photo from ten days ago shows this tree in transition.

It has a mixed history however, as it’s invasive in Australia and has caused significant problems there as they will take over and choke river and creek beds and the open spaces near them.

A more recent photo shows an almost completely golden honey locust.

Its home is North America where it should stay as it’s a good example of why a species works well in one location but not another. Despite problems associated with this tree, it does put on a very pretty autumn show.

Happy Thursday.