We’re seeing some fall color now but it’s still spotty and you have to look for it, rather than it being everywhere like it will be soon. The colors weren’t too bad at Perkin’s Pond over in Troy where this photo was taken, though there wasn’t any color to be seen on the flanks of Mount Monadnock. I suspect those are mostly all white pines on the mountain itself.
I always like to zoom in on the summit of Monadnock to see how many climbers are up there and I was surprised on this beautiful day to see none at all. Mount Monadnock is the second most climbed mountain in the world after Mount Fuji in Japan and it can get quite crowded, especially in the fall. I expected it to look like a Manhattan sidewalk at lunchtime up there on this day, but maybe everyone is waiting for more tree color.
You can see blazes of golden yellow here and there on the hillsides; signs that ash trees have put on their fall colors. Ash is one of the earliest to change and a good sign that autumn has begun.
Not every ash tree turns yellow. Some like white ash become yellow, orange, red and purple.
Our ferns are starting to change and among the most colorful are cinnamon ferns (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum.) The common name for this fern comes from its upright reddish brown fertile fronds which someone thought looked like cinnamon sticks. It often turns bright pumpkin orange in the fall.
Royal ferns (Osmunda spectabilis) turn yellow in the fall, but many people don’t realize that they are ferns. In fact they are thought to be one of the oldest living things, with fossil records dating back dating back over 300 million years. Individual plants are believed to be able to live for over a century and they live on every continent on earth except Australia.
Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) usually turns yellow in the fall but every now and then you’ll see one that is purple / bronze like this one.
This is more what we expect wild sarsaparilla to look like at this time of year. Yellow spots form on the leaves and slowly grow larger until the entire leaf is yellow. This is one of the earliest plants to start turning color in the fall.
More often than not poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) turns yellow in the fall but it can also be bright scarlet and sometimes bronze / purple as it is here. I like the scarlet color but I haven’t seen any plants wearing it yet. No matter what color it is or even if it has no leaves at all poison ivy will give most people an itchy rash they won’t soon forget, so it’s best to know it well and stay away from it.
The burning bushes (Euonymus alatus) along the Ashuelot River are changing slowly this year and most still look like this one. Though the shrub is extremely invasive there’s nothing quite like seeing huge swaths of the forest understory awash in soft, pastel pink.
Here and there you can find burning bush foliage that has turned white. This is usually what the leaves look like just before they fall.
The wind kept blowing these maple leaves in my face when I was mowing one day, apparently trying to wake me up to the fact that they had put their fall colors on. I finally did wake up to their beauty and took this photo. Maples can be red, yellow or orange.
Trees along the river in Keene are just starting to turn so the colors weren’t spectacular yet.
In late afternoon the sun is behind these trees and at times it looks like the forest is ablaze with colors. On this day it was all more muted and soft.
This tree couldn’t seem to make up its mind what color it wanted to be. You don’t often see yellow, orange and red on a single tree.
Our native maple leaf viburnum shrubs (Viburnum acerifolium) can change to any of many different colors including the maroon / burnt orange seen here. The foliage will continue to lighten over time until it wears just a hint of pale pastel pink just before the leaves fall.
Native little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) catches the sunlight and glows in luminous pink ribbons along our roadsides in the fall. This common grass grows in every U.S. state except Nevada and Washington and is beautiful enough to be grown in many gardens. After a frost it takes on a darker reddish purple hue, which makes it even more beautiful.
It’s the way its seed heads capture and reflect sunlight that makes little bluestem glow like it does.
This photo isn’t really about fall colors on the trees. It’s more about how the water in streams and small ponds darkens at this time of year until it appears almost black. When leaves of different colors fall and float on such dark water it can be a very beautiful scene.
Just in the short time since I started taking photos and writing this post things have changed dramatically, and there is now color along just about any road you care to follow. That’s how quickly it can happen sometimes. This view of Half Moon Pond in Hancock is one of my fall favorites.
This shot is of more color along the shoreline of Half Moon Pond. Most of the colorful trees are maples I think, and the colorful shrubs along the water’s edge are blueberry bushes.
This is another view of Half Moon Pond; it was so beautiful I couldn’t stop taking photos. The tourism bureau here in New Hampshire expects that millions of people from over 70 countries will come to see the foliage this year. Though the change is coming a bit later than usual so far the colors look to be breathtaking. If you come chances are you’ll find many of us standing and staring, awestruck by the incredible beauty. That’s what it does to you, no matter how many times you’ve seen it.
Over everything connected with autumn there lingers some golden spell–some unseen influence that penetrates the soul with its mysterious power. ~Northern Advocate
Thanks for stopping in.
I loved seeing the hints of fall colors through out your posts, but those images of Half Moon Pond are stunning! I’m looking forward to seeing more of the fall colors from New Hampshire, our trees are just getting started here.
Thanks Jerry! I was just reading about red maples and how you have the biggest one there in Michigan. I’m surprised to hear that they change so much later than ours do. Many of our maples are bare already but oaks and beeches will pick up the pace.
What lovely autumn colours! We have a little colour this year but it has been too dry and most leaves are scorched-looking and many have fallen already.
That’s too bad. We started out very dry too but apparently it didn’t last long enough to harm the foliage colors. We’ve had lots of rain over the past 3 months or so, and I think that helped.
I hope you have a better show next fall!
Thanks, Allen; I hope so too!
Gorgeous colors and scenes already! The mountain tops around here are all white today.
Thanks Montucky! It seems far too early for snow!
Nothing beats NE in autumn! Love the colors of the trees reflected in the water.
I have to agree!
Thanks so much. I’m a Mainer in the midwest and these photos warm the cockles of my heart. There is nothing like fall in northern New England!
Thank you Vicky. I hope you’ll get back to see it again one day!
This is one of your best, I think, but then it seems I say that about every one. The photos and stories that stand out for me I call ‘screen saver worthy’ or ‘desk top worthy’. I’ve been feeling sadness at the departure of summer, but these photos tell me of the beauty of the change of season and I thank you for that. Lots of screen saver worthies here, but my favorite is the group of maple leaves that demanded your attention. The seasons they go ’round and ’round.
Thanks very much Callie, I’m not happy about summer’s passing either but fall is a beautiful time of year and nature blogging is easy right now. I try not to think about what comes next!
Half Moon Pond is gorgeous!
It is, and I’m lucky to be able to see it each day.
Thank you for your beautiful Autumn photos. The photos of the trees reflected in water are just breath-taking…I. know I’d rather see your photos than sit on a tour bus!
You’re welcome, and thank you. I think you would love it if you could see it in person though. I know people who came over from England and were stunned, even after seeing photos.
Yes! We hope to include your beautiful part of the world in a holiday one day.
That would be fun. I don’t think you’d be disappointed.
Lovely! I miss my home state when I see your photos.
Thank you, I’m glad I can at least show you what’s happening here.
We have similar here, so what I loved best was the photo not of fall colour but of the trees reflected, the green and blues and calmness of it.
Thank you, that day was unusually calm, with not a ripple on the water. It doesn’t happen often!
Beautiful Fall color! Each year I look forward to the changing colors of the leaves, and I have to say I never get tired of seeing them. Thanks for showing us what is happening in New Hampshire.
Thanks Chris! I never get tired of them either, it’s what comes later that tires me out!
I’ve hiked Monadnock many times when I lived back there. I do remember it getting very busy at the top on nice days, and almost being run over by a mountain bike zooming down a trail.
The dark water reflecting the greens, golds and oranges of autumn makes a beautiful scene. I especially love that last photo.
Thank you Lavinia. Yes, I’ve heard it can be elbow to elbow up there in the fall especially, and that’s why I don’t bother climbing it. They shouldn’t allow bikes on that mountain. It sounds pretty dangerous!
Everyone seems to like the reflections. That’s good, because they’re hard to get!
I especially love the last four.
Thank you Ben, it must be the reflections.
That’s part of it anyway. 🙂
Thank you so much for the beautiful pictures. For the first time ever I will not be in New England to see the magnificent display nature puts on for us and I miss it. I particularly like the pictures with the soft almost misty effect. That’s what I would normally see on a morning walk along my local river.
It’s too bad you can’t be here. So far it looks like it will be a banner year for fall colors.
You’ll probably see more of those misty photos here, it’s supposed cloudy tomorrow and Monday. I think the colors are often more intense on a cloudy day, so I’ll be out there!
Wonderful shots of autumn colour especially when reflected in water, a real treat.
Thank you Susan, I thought you’d like those reflections.
Glor-i-ous! That wild sarsaparilla was running rampant in our garden when we came here and was the dickens to get out, but it looks pretty in your photo. As for the rest, I’m a sucker for autumn trees over ponds, and you have some beauties.
Thank you Cynthia. Yes, I’d bet that you had quite a time getting the sarsaparilla out of the garden. It’s very persistent.
We’ve had light winds here lately so the reflections have been outstanding.
I love your shots of the fall color there in New Hampshire, especially those of Half Moon Pond with those wonderful reflections in the water. It may still be a little early, but those colors, particularly the red of the maples, are spectacular.
Thank you Mike, I’d say we’ll be at peak color by this time next week so you’ll see plenty more color here!