The sun is lower in the sky every day, the days are getting shorter and we’ve had a few frosts out my way. The trees are starting to respond accordingly.
Some leaves have changed while others around them can’t be bothered.
The low angle of the light streaks through the trees. I liken it to stained glass. It will only get better as more yellow, orange and red appears.
There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to why some will have already turned bright red while the rest refuse to give up the green.
Around the corner from my house, one lone tree was in a hurry.
Not far from me is what I guess could be considered a prairie. While out at sunset the other day, I didn’t expect this.
From this prairie you can plan a route all the way to the Mississippi River, probably all the way into Iowa somewhere and never drive through a town of more than a thousand people. Out that way fields are being harvested. Corn and soy beans no doubt. You can feel the dust in the air and the dust does this to the sunsets.
In with the trees are more leaves that have turned bright red.
Stunningly beautiful the way they stand out against the green. The type of leaves you want to gather and bring home. Arrange in a vase with other leaves and maybe place them on the dining room table or kitchen counter. Liven up a room a bit.
There’s only one problem with these leaves. Gathering them would be a decision you would live to regret…
cofisher
30 Sep 2012Sometimes it’s just not about fishing. Beautiful photos Ken.
Ken G
30 Sep 2012Thanks Howard. Seems like a lot of leaves are just falling off the trees without bothering to finish their colors. It’s so dry and I think any rain would be too late.
Jim McClellan
30 Sep 2012Beautiful pictures, Ken. We’re going to have to waiting a little longer for fall to make it down here to Florida.
Ken G
1 Oct 2012My wife used to live in Florida. She described fall and winter as the time when she would wear regular t-shirts rather than the ones with just straps.
The one thing that keeps me from moving there is that it’s the only state I’ve been to that is actually flatter than Illinois. Which I didn’t think was possible. Oh, and alligators. I can stay out of the ocean to avoid the sharks, but those things come wandering onto land looking for me.
Nature in the Burbs
2 Oct 2012Great shots and captions. You got me on the poison ivy though. I was ready to gather those leaves in my mind.!
Ken G
2 Oct 2012I was out picking and eating wild grapes with my daughter once. She started to reach for poison ivy berries. That would have been one hell of a lesson in what not to eat in the wild.
michael metzger
4 Oct 2012First thing to my mind when I saw the red leaves growing up the tree was poison ivy. Too many times as a kid pretending I was George of the Jungle swinging on tree vines only to later learn it was a bad idea. Funny though I never new there was berries, lean something new every day. Thanks Ken
Ken G
4 Oct 2012I never really paid attention to the berries either, till she reached for them. For some reason I’m immune to the stuff, but then, I don’t go rolling around in it or swinging from it…