Nature’s Stained Glass Window
I already posted a picture from today, my Autumn Color, Domesticated Version, but I also wanted to post a few less suburban images. This afternoon, Cathy and I took a walk in the park, which is really a walk in the woods. The path runs through the woods by a stream and in a couple places crosses the stream on bridges. This first picture is of sycamore leaves reflected in the stream from one of those bridges. I was struck not only by the color but by the patters made in the moving water. This is a still picture, of course, and loses something by that lack of movement, but it still reminds me of a stained glass window, made entirely by the creator of all things.
Sunfish Pond on a Clear, Autumn Day
After crossing the creek (wait, it was a stream a minute ago, is it a creek now?) between bridges and also crossing the orange fencing put in to keep us from doing that (the county has been “rehabilitating” the creek for a couple years now, and it looks to continue for a long time to come) we made our way to Sunfish Pond. The mid-afternoon light on the pond was beautiful, As we walked around so that the sun was to our left, the colors deepened and the reflections stood our more brilliantly. I often find myself jealous of people living in Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, or northern California, where mountains and lakes are so spectacular. This may not be up to the likes of Maroon Lake in Colorado or Lake Louise in Alberta, but for a small pond in a suburban park, I think it’s rather pretty.
Appalachian Melody
I use Appalachian Melody, October 25, 2012 as the title of a photograph similar to this one of the beech leaves. Nevertheless, that’s what autumn leave make me think of, so I”m using it again. Appalachian Melody, as I said in that earlier post, is the title of a song (and album) by the late Mark Heard, and one of those songs that stays with you (or with me, anyhow). It is one of my favorite songs and I think of it often, usually (naturally) this time of year.
Forest Fire
While the first of the four photographs in this post reminds me of a stained glass window, this last one does, as well. The woods were the normal mix of sun and shade this afternoon but in places the sun would hit a tree that still had enough leaves that it would light up in brilliant color. This is one such tree and it was like a blaze in the otherwise brown scenery.
I didn’t actually go check but my guess is that these are beech trees, which often turn a bright yellow before fading to a copper brown later in the fall. They often stay on the tree over the winter, especially on younger trees, giving the woods a bit more character. We are blessed to have both the native American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and the beautiful European beech (Fagus sylvatica) growing locally. They are similarly beautiful trees and there is not much that can compare to a huge old beech tree, either as a specimen in a lawn (but you need a large lawn and a lot of time if you’re going to try this at home) or in a woodland.
