Wednesday Walk ~ The start of fall colours

about 2 years ago

This afternoon I popped out for a walk on the trail. It has been a few weeks for me and I was eager to see the colours as trees here and there in my neighbourhood had started changing.

If you don't know what the trees are in the bush, the changing colours can help with identification. The bright orange in this photo is a sugar maple. The yellows are in the aspen family.

Still a lot of cleanup going on from the wind storms we had this year.

The trees start to change when the temperatures dip. We have had one 0 C (32°F) night recently that spelled the end of much of my garden, but here only the tips of the maple are changing.

I'm not sure what this plant is. It uses the wind to disburse its seeds much like a milkweed.

The lone biker who passed me. Today, I also bumped into a class of students from a local high-school.

Down through the rocks, I go.

The wild asters are one of the few remaining flowers. They were here and there and past their prime.

There was no wind, no birds song, no running water. Everything was quiet and still.

In the swamp, the bulrushes (cattails) are going to seed.

Pretty but deadly; these are nightshade berries.

The last time I was here, the mosquitos chased me out, but the cooler weather means the end of them.

Look closely. This log has rows and rows of tiny fungi.

Finally, some more colour. This trail really doesn't have many maple trees and I love to get a few of those shots that look like postcards.

Some last clusters of the wild asters as I approach the parking lot.

One stunning red maple against a blue sky. Our season seems a little late this year. Usually by mid-October the trees are at the peak of their beauty, and they're really only getting started, but sometimes it happens quickly!

Thank you @tattoodjay for the wonderful #WednesdayWalk that brought me outside and looking for fall colours on this beautiful October day.