Colors of Fall

The blooms of summer have matured and gone to seed.  They now provide a variety of textures amidst the brilliant pallet of color that the leaves are providing. 

The first frosts of the season have turned the green leaves to reds, yellows, oranges and browns that decorate the forest trails.  It is a sight to behold.  The sunshine streams through the treetops, illuminating Mother Nature's colorful display.  

The first flakes of snow fell this morning, signalling the onset of even cooler temperatures.  The trees will soon be releasing those colorful leaves.  They will create a carpet on the trails; a place for the birds to hide their winter food stores and an insulating layer for the insects that have buried into the soil.

Now is the time to get outside to enjoy the colors of fall. There is a feeling of peace to be found on the trails at this time of year.  The temperature is crisp and refreshing.  An autumn walk is in order to clear the mind before that colorful carpet is covered with a carpet of white.

"The time of the falling leaves has come again. Once more in our morning walk we tread upon carpets of gold and crimson, of brown and bronze, woven by the winds or the rains out of these delicate textures while we slept.  How beautifully the leaves grow old! How full of light and color are their last days! There are exceptions, of course. The leaves of most of the fruit-trees fade and wither and fall ingloriously. They bequeath their heritage of color to their fruit. Upon it they lavish the hues which other trees lavish upon their leaves...But in October what a feast to the eye our woods and groves present! The whole body of the air seems enriched by their calm, slow radiance. They are giving back the light they have been absorbing from the sun all summer."
      ~John Burroughs, "The Falling Leaves," Under the Maples