Annual Autumn Beauty Report

Walks in my neighborhood are special in October and November. Having overwhelming and almost never changing evergreens around 24 hours a day /7 days a week/ 365 days a year makes me deeply appreciate the magical display of non-green colors.

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I try not to miss the 'time window' when the usually green neighborhood gets its autumn fever.

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It's important to beat the landscape crews with their leaf blowers and not lose a chance to walk on the fallen leaves.

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There is something hypnotizing in the soft rustling noise which dry leaves make.

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Brilliant!

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Most color comes from yellow, orange, red and pink maples, maroon huckleberry and berberis, yellow aspen, willow and cottonwoods, purple smoke bushes, red blueberry bushes, scarlet and orange viburnum and bronze oaks.... What did I forget?

Big leaf maple, vine maple, red maple, Japanese maples and other maple varieties are among favorites here.

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I would call the next picture 'Street light' with its green, red and yellow colors:

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Pampas grass joins the trees and shrubs to perform in a November choir:

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Blooming roses make me smile. They try to compete with the autumn foliage for attention:

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I spent a lot of time near a little pond with this gorgeous golden carpet in front of it:

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What a contrast between the green lawns and the autumn carpet of the fallen leaves! What looks more natural this time of the year? Green color, although pleasant to the eye and helping to withstand dullness of the rainy winter days, seems out of place for me:

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There should be ducks somewhere here. Let's get closer.
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and closer

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Here they are:
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Usually, after checking all the neighborhood, I can tell what place was my favorite for autumn.

Last year, it was this one shown in my post Neighborhood Walk 2009:

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Pictures below, taken at the same spot several days ago, made my heart sink again:
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I like to stop here on walks with my dog or during a bike ride.

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This year, I have another favorite:

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This alley of pinkish and yellow maples stopped me in my tracks or, more exactly, in my wheels.

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I didn't get into this little street last year, and it was totally unexpected to see this wonderful alley of tall maples of absolutely stunning color:

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Happiness, excitement, joy - this is what I felt looking at this scene.
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Stately rows of maples were performing a hymn of adoraton to Queen of the Year , autumn.

Do you see any ghosty opaque spots? It's leaves caught by the camera in their gracious descent.

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I picked up several leaves and put them between the pages of a heavy book.
If you are going for a walk, don't forget to bring some leaves home before they get blown away.

I know some of you already did and some of you are already late.

I am joining Dave for his Fall Color Project 2010

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Copyright 2010 TatyanaS