“Inexorably.” I don’t use that word often enough…
Anyway, the autumn colors are advancing, day by day, and I spent just a little time over at the nearby pond to chase some of them. They’re still a bit patchy, and will likely remain that way, as the earlier trees turn and drop all of their leaves, then later trees do the same, and so on. Actually, I was on the interstate briefly today, and stretches of that had the best colors that I’ve seen anywhere, but I’m not going to make much of a scenic landscape shot from the interstate. Maybe something for a country & western album…
The Canada geese (Branta canadensis) had been fairly thin around the pond for a while, largely disappearing after a brood had been raised, but are back in large numbers now, likely some flocks on their migration south rather than semi-permanent residents. I have too many photos of Canadas, but they served here to add something to the varied colors. The American sweetgum trees (Liquidambar styraciflua) are probably the most dependable color producers in the immediate area, and should be peaking soon.
I don’t even know the species responsible for the next, but who’s asking anyway?
The blend of color worked well with the dark lines of the trunks, and I think I happened to be there at the right time for the backlighting to make the most of it. I know that, right down at the bottom, there are the ‘knees’ of a bald cypress that remains out of the frame, a tree that turns a really nice burnt-orange color at this time of year, but none of the ones near the pond provide a decent perspective. Maybe I have to poke around town and see if I can find any others, before they go bald.
I would be remiss if I did not feature The Girlfriend’s trumpet flowers.
Abruptly, at about the time we expected it to be going dormant, the trumpet flower tree (genus Brugmansia) burst forth with a load of buds, and they bloomed out over a period of several days right at the end of last month. They weathered the edges of yet another tropical storm that passed through (being pierced countless times by falling pine needles, another reason why I hate those trees,) and got browned a bit by overnight temperatures that dropped remarkably far for a few nights – and yet, there is another bunch of new buds as I type this.
I eventually moved the pot away from the pine, which also helped with backgrounds slightly, but there’s no really good shooting angle to keep distractions from the background, so I figured I might as well make the distractions pleasant – that’s The Girlfriend’s wind mobile back there.
Of course, another update on the green treefrogs (Hyla cinerea,) because why stop now?
With the lower temperatures, I figured these guys had all packed it in for the winter, finding someplace to bury themselves until spring, but this afternoon I found this half-size juvenile perched on the lemongrass plant (Cymbopogon) right by the front door, only a meter or so away from the spot on the Japanese maple where I’d found the sneaky one. Same one? Maybe, but not half as accomplished at hiding this time – probably actually wanted the attention. And I walked right into it – I’m such a tool sometimes.