Tag Archives: Fall Colours

nature, Photography

Picture Jumble

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These are October pictures that I like but haven’t posted before as I chose to publish others from the same sets in more cohesive ways.

Petunias from a large pot on my deck; they’ve been beautiful all summer and are actually still blooming.

Yellowing ginkgo biloba leaves – I love the shape of them. Ginkgo biloba trees are ancient; they’re part of the fossil record.

A path through the Japanese Garden; I walk there probably two or three times a week. It’s peaceful, calming and beautiful.

The stages of autumn change are shown through a colourful ash tree, some dried ornamental grasses and in the foreground, grape vines.

This clump of dahlias looked particularly pretty against the blue sky.

Autumn is beautiful and can be beautifully surprising with its colours, skies, and often, lovely temperatures. There’s probably nothing better than sitting outside in comfortable, glorious autumn temperatures, the season settling and relaxing into a luminous winter.

Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile. ~ William Cullen Bryant 

nature, Photography

White Ash

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I love the transformation of the white ash trees. During the summer they are usually a very pretty pea green, but once autumn takes hold, their leaves begin to turn red.

White ash tree at the beginning of its annual metamorphosis. They are one of the first trees to change.
It’s the beginning of October and many of the ash leaves have a reddish-purple tinge.
Once the leaves turn an orangey-red, they continue their transition to yellow. As expected, some leaves are both red and yellow at the same time.
Other leaves, especially those toward the tree’s trunk, skip the red phase and immediately turn yellow.
Red on the outside; yellow on the inside. I’ve noticed that some trees do this much more than others.
Pretty yellow against a blue sky.

Given how lovely these trees are throughout the year, I find their name quite plain. It apparently comes from the light green – or ash-like – appearance of the leaves’ underside.

Happy Saturday.

Commentary, nature, Photography

Morning Walk

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I took stock of the deciduous trees while crunching through yesterday’s lovely leaf-strewn morning walk. The ash, maple and aspen trees are for the most part taking their rest now and the tamaracks aren’t far behind. Many others are still mostly green but are inevitably tilting toward yellow.

These are cottonwoods.

While living in southern Alberta I grew to appreciate the cottonwoods a lot. They thrive there and provide many advantages to humans, birds and animals alike. On the prairies they drop their leaves much earlier, so it’s lovely to see them wearing their summer garb well into November.

Happy Friday.