Fall Colors Peak

  I figured our extreme dryness (only 0.75" in the last 40 days) would put an end to any hope of a colorful autumn. It's been too warm. But I was wrong.

09/30

 By the end of September some promising golds began to show on the maples. This shot is of the late day sun shining through limbs of the maple nearest the kitchen window (north of the house).

10/01

 A look at the south side of the house showed equal promise, especially the large maple on the left.

10/01

 Here's a closer look at the  same tree. The top areas in particular were beginning to go gold.

10/08

 A week later and this same tree, now viewed from the second floor bathroom window, was awash with brilliant colors. Even without looking out a window, the golden hue permeates the house, as though there is a nearby fire. It is beautiful but it is also a bit frightening. How can anything so deep green suddenly switch to this shade? If we had never seen fall colors before, we'd drop everything and cry.

10/08

 Same tree again - now from ground level -  shows its carotenoid pigments. The chlorophyll is gone for this year. The colors are a science to themselves.

10/08

 As I start back the neighbor's lane for my daily laps. Pinehaven sits chilled in the early morning air while the trees all stoke the fire.

10/08

 The north maple - looking up from ground level - still holds most of its green and gold leaves. But not for long, I'll wager. Give them a week and the tree will stand bare until next April.

10/08

 This maple is at it's golden peak. It will soon darken and  drop its leaves, almost overnight. Tom and I will man rakes and complete our yard work for another season.

10/10

 And two days later, the darkening has begun. Of course the sky is cloudy, too, and that deepens the final shade. It is a hint of the short days, the darker days of winter to come. But for these few final moments, we attend a magic show, science doling out its hidden liquids that were there all the time.

 The rabbit was already in the hat.