The Leaves Are Falling
the subtle shift from early autumn to late; winter is not far off now
Just the other day, I awoke to a slushy blanket of white in the yard; our temperatures remain warm enough that it turns to rain and doesn’t linger very long. But winter is near — I can see it in the thick bed of fallen leaves, in the bare branches reaching into the sky. I can see it on the mountain peaks as they are dusted in white.
The leaves that blanket the ground have faded to a dull brown and earthy orange since the vibrancy of early autumn. The seasons are fascinating to watch; not only the obvious changes from summer to autumn to winter, but the subtle shifts within a season such as early autumn to late. What was once a shock of bright yellow and red is muted; grey and brown are predominant now.
Even the grasses are leached of colour; from the rich green of spring to the warmer tones of summer, and now to the orange-tinted white of late autumn.
Some foliage hangs on tightly to its leaves, lining the shores of the small lake with a blend of grey, orange, and little pops of red.
It’s a beautiful time, before the snow arrives. The forest is starting to feel quieter, sleepier as it prepares for the deep hibernation that’s on its way — the lakes will soon freeze over and snow will cover it all.
As my walk nears its end, I spot a flash of green near my feet; it seems not everything has lost its colour. While many of our trees remain evergreen, it seems there is a variety of fern that also retains its pigment.
I don’t spot too many of these though, not here anyway; they thrive deeper in the forest rather than on the shores of the lake. Most of the ferns I find here look like this little guy — beautifully dried and curled, faded and spent for the season.
And so we come to the end of another forest wander — I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you so much for joining me and I’ll see you next time.
♡ Whitney
Shop Notes —
2024 calendars are in the shop, check them out here. As I’m slowly working on some new collections (canvas prints), you can still check out my current selection in my shop, and don’t hesitate to reach out if there is an image here that isn’t in there that you’d like as a print. ♡
"The seasons are fascinating to watch; not only the obvious changes from summer to autumn to winter, but the subtle shifts within a season such as early autumn to late." Beautiful collection of images with a muted, moody color palette. It's hard to choose a favorite, but I do really like the dramatically deep-green ferns. Thanks for sharing your walk with us!
Beautiful as always. Here we are still very much in the colourful golds and reds part of autumn, which is lovely, but I also really like the more muted 'resting' tones of deeper winter when they arrive.