My enjoyment, perhaps even fascination, with fall foliage doesn’t end when the leaves have fallen from the trees. I continue to enjoy the patterns they form upon the ground and new colors discovered during the drying and decaying process.
In that regard, we here are luckier then some areas of the country for our leaves are seldom pushed from the trees by first snows or heavy ice. Cold crisp morning frost and cool days are more in line for early winter here — leaves can last for months. This gives time for them to dry, become crisp and forming a crunchy carpet upon the forest floor — even small creatures, rabbits and squirrels, can be hear at some distance moving upon this surface. I remember as a young boy, hunting with my single shot .22 rifle, remaining very still and listening carefully for the tell-tell rustle of leaves.
While I still have that rifle, these days I hunt with a camera instead. But I often still stand and listen for the rustle of leaves.
I like this complex composition, Earl. Like you, I love the way nature makes interesting patterns with fallen leaves and the colors are really very nice.
Thanks, Ken!
My weapon of choice is also the camera. :-) You triggered some memories of my years in the Ohio Valley and the quantity of the leaves compared to the Colorado Front Range. I enjoyed those leaves no matter what season it was.
Monte, it’s interesting thinking of a camera as a weapon, but then many people are serving time for breaking laws while on the wrong side of one.
That is such a lovely feel, to walk on a frost bitten carpet of dry leaves. Its raining here now, and we have not yet had any days with temperatures below the freezing point. I guess this means no such carpets for us. :-)
We’re have fluctuations of temperature here…cold one week and warm the next. It’s hard to know what to expect from day to day but the carpets of leaves are wonderful. :-)
Very nice composition with the yellow on the stone forming roughly the same pattern as the yellow leaves in the center. Unfortunately, our fall is pretty much done for the year – we’ve had a layer of snow (getting dirtier every day) for over a week now.
Hi John, thanks! Normally we don’t expect much snow here until after the first of the year and it seldom last so long.
Even in winter months there is plenty of colour to be found in the forest and you’ve captured that incredibly beautifully. I love walking through the forest on cold days and listening to the sound of the rustling leaves. Thanks for that wonderful image and great article, Earl.