Images of Autumn, 2014

Streams of light wash the trees with molten rays, dripping glitter upon the forest floor. It is late October, and autumn is beginning to show her colors. Not fieriness yet, for we are weeks away from peak colors, but the woods have a warm glow that complements the season's cooler air. The days are a refreshment to my soul, and I want to soak them in, remembering each detail in the garden. I am out with my camera often.

This redbud tree is laden with dried seedpods.

Some fall vignettes looked staged, but I photographed them just as I found them:
I found this spent Magnolia grandiflora seedpod in an empty pot, one perfect red seed resting in the heart of it.

A fallen feather lies next to a few dogwood berries.

This upside-down mushroom has moss clinging to its stem. I wonder what uprooted it and how it came to rest so perfectly on the ground.

I can not overlook flowers that will bloom right up to the precipice of winter:Clockwise from top left: A new flower head opening on Endless Summer Hydrangea; Close-up of Endless Summer; Rainbow Knockout Rose; Purple Aster; Penelope Rose; Penelope rosebud with some of the bush's fall colors visible in the background; Rosa Mutabilis; Flower Carpet Coral Rose.

A couple of black and white images are a salute to next season:
This dried Oakleaf Hydrangea seed head caught my attention. It reminds me of a cluster of butterflies.

An old stump has artistic swirls and crevices.

Will we have another hard winter? I hope not. For now, I cling to day after day of glorious autumn.

Autumn Leaves and Other Things I Love

The autumn garden has such gladness when the sun is shining. Leaves upon the trees turn into stained glass wonders, if only for moments with the passing rays:

This dogwood gives promise for next spring as it holds flower buds above its beautiful fall foliage.I love this season, not for the dying, but for the aging glory and for the celebration of winter's rest to come. I love the details of an autumn leaf — still fluttering on the branch, or fallen to the ground, or twisting in the breeze, caught in a crafty spider's web:

Dried Trident maple seed pods, still clinging to the tree, look like delicate parchment paper blooms:

The rose tints of a fading hydrangea bloom linger on into the season, and other flowers put out fresh buds, despite the chilliness of fall nights:

These mums beside the parking court have spread from a single plant, purchased long ago from a grocery store. They are just beginning to open their blooms. Nandina 'Firepower' grows in front.I have moved this Ipomoea carnea, or bush morning glory, three times. It is tall and skinny, and I finally found a good home for it beside this birdhouse. The bush morning glory seems to like the cooler temperatures of fall.

A few years ago I banished most of the Nandina domestica plants from my garden for their aggressiveness, pulling them up by the scores, but leaving only a couple, for I cannot part with their berries completely. I cut them off, when my eyes have had my fill of them.

Stump World knows no season, as its slow decay nourishes life throughout the year, but moss, fungi, and lichen are particularly lovely during fall:

 May you take time to reflect upon some of nature's finest details, and have a great week!  Deborah