I had three days off due to the Columbus Day holiday but a heavy cloud cover decided to park itself over the entire region, so most of the photos you’ll see here were taken under gray skies. But this makes things interesting for me, because there is a long running argument that says colors “pop” better on cloudy days than they do on sunny ones. For me it depends. If the sun is behind me and I’m looking at the sun shining on the foliage the scene can be very beautiful, but on cloudy days you don’t have to worry about where the sun is. The colors still “pop” but in a different way, as this view from Howe Reservoir in Dublin shows. Mount Monadnock would have shown in the background if not for the low clouds.
I moved along the shoreline of the reservoir trying to get shots of the best color. An Asian couple did the same, taking selfies with their phones, presumably because the people back home would never believe this. Actually I’ve heard that there are people who think it couldn’t be real; that the colors had to have been faked somehow, but then they came here and found that nature can indeed be pretty colorful.
We still haven’t reached peak color yet so many trees like oak and beech are still green. It seems to start in swaths or pockets throughout the forest before finally the entire forest is ablaze with colors of every hue. I watch the hillsides that surround Keene and when they are showing quite a lot of color that’s my signal to start climbing and try to photograph it from above. So far I haven’t had much luck but I keep trying. My breathing is ragged this year so I’ll probably only get one try. I’ll try to make it a good one.
Birches tend to grow in groves, often mixed in with other species, so it’s hard to isolate a single tree to show you their fall leaf color, but this one conveniently leaned out over the water all by itself. They don’t vary much from the clear yellow that you see here, although I have seen red and orange leaves on birch trees occasionally.
In the fall blueberries come in yellow, orange, red, and the plum color seen here. They grow wild around our lakes and ponds. I can’t think of a single body of fresh water I’ve been on in this state that didn’t have blueberries on its shores. They are very common and their numbers are staggering.
In the last fall color post I showed some cinnamon ferns that were orange. Usually their cousins the interrupted ferns (Osmunda claytoniana) also turn orange but this one at Howe Reservoir was bright yellow.
Sometimes just a single tree seems enough.
But a single tree can never match the beauty of an entire forest wearing its fall colors. The asters were a bonus.
Red maples (Acer rubrum) don’t mind wet feet so they are often found it wet places, and that is why they’re also called swamp maples by many people. In fact some swamps are called red maple swamps. As this view into a swamp shows they come in various shades of yellow, orange, red and are one of our most colorful fall trees. They’re also called soft maple and scarlet maple. These trees can get quite big; the largest known red maple lives in Michigan and is 125 feet tall with a circumference of over 16 feet.
Both main roads and back roads are getting colorful now. You don’t realize how many people come to see the foliage until you drive a road like this one. Usually you can walk on this road and not see a car all day, but on this day it was like a super highway. I had to wait a while to get a shot with no cars in it.
False Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum) had colorful leaves but no berries. They get eaten fast and I haven’t been able to find any ripe ones yet this year.
I still haven’t seen any scarlet poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) leaves but I did see some that I thought were pink. Unfortunately my color finding software sees the sky reflected off the leaves and thinks the few leaves in the lower right corner are several shades of blue.
Wild river grape leaves (Vitis riparia) turn yellow in the fall and this is a great time to find them because they stand out better now than at any other time of year.
I couldn’t let a warm and dry fall day go by without visiting the Ashuelot River. I started in the northern part of town and sure enough the tree that always changes before all the others had done it again. I can’t get close to it so I have no idea what it is, but it’s always early.
After visiting the northern part of town I visited town center at Ashuelot Park. This stretch of river is one of my favorites in the fall because the banks are lined with colorful maples. You have to come here relatively early though, because many maples change early and that means they drop their leaves early. In a week or so when I’m at other places admiring colorful foliage the trees here might be all but bare.
The falls over the old Colony dam on West Street turned to molten gold in the afternoon sun.
One of the reasons I love to come here at this time of year is because of the way the afternoon sun sets the trees ablaze with color. It’s beautiful and seeing people just standing and staring or taking photos is common. One girl with a camera told me she comes here every day. It’s a place people come to immerse themselves in the beauty of fall.
But which is more beautiful, the sunlight coming through the trees or falling on the trees? I can never decide so I always get shots of both. The colors are amazing no matter how you look at them.
I’ve been looking at this shot of a turtle on a log for nearly a week now, trying to think of what I wanted to say about it. What a lucky turtle is about all I can come up with. Not profound maybe, but I wouldn’t have minded spending some time on that log myself. I can’t imagine being any more immersed in nature than that.
I meant to do my work today, but a brown bird sang in the apple tree, and a butterfly flitted across the field, and all the leaves were calling. ~Richard le Gallienn
Thanks for stopping in.
This is such a beautiful post, Allen! Not only have you seen some wonderful leaf colour but also the reflected light on water is glorious; the waterfall especially!
Thank you Clare. It’s a very colorful time of year. The last gasp before the world turns white.
I can see why Michigan always ranks second to New England when it comes to fall colors. We have some dazzling displays of color here, but the colors there in New Hampshire and the rest of New England seem more vibrant, and they photograph better also. I hope that you get several more chances to share such magnificent post with us before the fall is over with, and that you have some more blue skies as well. I like cloudy days in some ways, as you said, you can photograph in any direction, and the colors seem more saturated. However, sunshine brings the leaves to life, and the blue sky makes a nice color contrast for the leaves of most trees. So, the answer is to shoot no matter what the weather is, a light rain saturates the colors even more.
Thanks Jerry! I’ve seen some amazing color on your blog but obviously it’s hard to compare when I’ve never seen it in person. I’ve heard that nowhere else has color like New England but I have no way to confirm that.
Blue sky with the colors would be great but we seem to be getting a lot of milky white this year. I was just looking at some shots I took in full sun and the sky is still washed out. It could be because of where I was in relation to the sun. I know I want the sun behind me if I want blue water but I guess I haven’t figured out the blue sky secret yet!
More dazzling than fireworks! Very little fall color around here as of yet.
I hope you get to see some soon!
You sure have glorious colors in the trees this time of year!
Yes, this year has been a good one for color so far!
Gorgeous foliage photos, but the turtle surrounded in gold is a prize-winner!
Thank you Eliza. I wish I could have read its mind!
Gorgeous color in your area. 🙂 We are not near that colorful, matter of fact it is really pretty darn dull looking over here. Love the turtle. 🐢
I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you’ll get to see at least some color this year.
That turtle had it all!
Whatever the weather, you have presented us with a an absolute treat in this post. I particularly liked the shots with reflections in the water.
Thank you, I think those were everyone’s favorites.
Beautiful shots! You have central Ohio beat when it comes to fall color.
Thank you! I’ve heard that New England beats just about anywhere when it comes to fall color, but I’m sure there must be other places that come close.
Beautiful images, Allen…reminders of my previous home environment. I’d have to drive for hours and face the hordes of traffic to experience again what you have with a simple drive or walk down the street. And yes, that’s one lucky turtle!
Thank you Scott. I doubt I’d drive that far in traffic to see foliage, so I don’t blame you. I am thankful for having such beauty so close at hand!
You’re welcome, Allen…that’s one of the many things that I miss from my time in Utah…the closeness of that kind of nature in everyday life…and yes, I, too, was very thankful to have it so close. I know you cherish it…that comes across very clearly in your posts.
Thanks again Scott. I missed this comment somehow the other day but I’ve finally found it.
I think there is a lot of beauty in Arizona but of course it’s of a very different kind. Nature is everywhere though so hopefully you’ll have a chance to get to know it well there.
Your fall colors look beautiful. We have had lots of rain, clouds, and wind here in Michigan. The leaves are pretty and do seem to pop even when it is cloudy, but we haven’t had many days with blue sky. We are lucky to live where the leaves do change to such beautiful colors, even with gray skies.
I really liked your turtle with the golden water!
Thank you Chris! We’ve had a lot of rain and cloudy days too and today was one of those so it’ll be more cloudy day foliage shots. I hope we both get to see some sun before winter sets in!
What a brilliant time of year!
Yes! I’m sure you must be seeing the same in Maine.
We are!
What colours! And I love the turtle too.
Thank you Ben. I’d like to be that turtle for a short while!
They do say we should be careful what we wish for. 🙂
That’s why I added “for a short while.” I don’t know if I could handle being buried in mud all winter.
As thoughtful and wise as I suspected then. 🙂
I don’t know about wisdom but I did put some thought into it.
🙂
Beautiful quote. This is a stunning post, I went right through it twice so as not to miss anything, it’s no wonder people come from all over to view the colours. Sorry to read that you have breathing problems.
Thanks very much Susan. The breathing problem is manageable but climbing seems to be more difficult now. Maybe I just need to practice more.
Such beautiful colours and textures, Allen. It is the same here, and the salmon in our stream have been jumping.Q: Do you pick blueberries in the summer?
Thank you Cynthia. Yes, I pick blueberries to eat out of hand but I don’t freeze them or make anything from them. I’ve never been wild about cooked blueberries.
I hope you have plenty of fall color up in Canada!