More Fall Color
October 2, 2019 by New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Fall came early this year I think, but for what must be the first time I’m noticing how dependent on temperature and weather the foliage colors are. We had some quite cool nights a week or two ago and that started things off but then it got hot again; it was 80 degrees and humid on the day of this writing, and the foliage changes seem to have slowed. This view of the Ashuelot River north of Keene in Gilsum is bright enough but other than a spot of yellow or orange I think it’s mostly made up of varying shades of green. But since I’m colorblind I’m the last person you should choose to believe when it comes to color. I’ll let you make your own decisions.

One thing I’m sure of by these photos is how little water is actually in the river bed. Normally I would have been very foolish to try to stand where I was when I took this one but it’s been so dry there was nothing to worry about on this day. They say we’ve had the 18th driest September since records have been kept over the last 150 years.

Something that struck me as odd and interesting was this dog lichen, which was growing on a stone that is submerged for at least a few months in spring. I’ve seen mosses stand it but this is the first lichen I’ve seen put up with being underwater. But they do love water; evidenced by their color changes and their increased pliability after a rain.

This is another scene along the Ashuelot River in the northern part of Keene. There wasn’t really more water in this part of the river, just fewer rocks.

Sometimes highbush blueberries will take on a plum color in the fall as this one has and sometimes they’re bright red.

An ash tree burned brightly at the edge of the woods. Ash trees are among the first to turn and you can often see green hillsides with spots of bright yellow here and there.

And this young ash turned a beautiful deep purple. This is a white ash (Fraxinus americana,) I believe.

One of the scenes I look forward to each fall is this one, where birches grow out of the bedrock.

Many ferns are putting on their fall colors and one of the prettiest is the cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum.)

And a forest full of them is even prettier.

Another plum colored blueberry with a yellow maple caught my eye on the way to work one morning.

I actually learned the secret of photographing purple grasses from taking photos of purple love grass (Eragrostis spectabilis.) As a nature photographer you never stop learning, and nature itself is often the best teacher. You try and try and then try again, and eventually you hit on the right light, or the right background, or the right perspective and then finally you have it, and then you can show the plant or any other bit of nature at its best. In my line of thought, this is how you get people interested enough to want to get out there and see nature for themselves; by showing it at its most beautiful. This beautiful little shin-high grass grows on sandy roadsides and flowers in late summer and early fall. Its purple flower heads will eventually turn a tannish color and break off. They are often seen rolling and floating along the roadsides like tumbleweeds in the fall.

Here is a closer look at purple love grass. It’s very pretty and I’m lucky enough to see quite a lot of it along roadsides.

Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) also chose to wear purple for fall. Pretty, but it contains solanine, which is the same toxic substance found in many members of the nightshade family including deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna.)

Virginia creeper vines (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) are beautiful this year.

Red leaves and blue berries on pink stems make Virginia creeper really stand out in the fall, and sometimes whole trees are draped in it.

Winterberries, one of our native hollies, also ripen in the fall and if the birds don’t eat them they’ll persist well into winter. Photos of winterberries with snow on them have become so common they have become almost a cliché, like raindrops on roses. Still snow on these berries is a relatively difficult shot, only because you have to be in the right place at the right time. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is toxic, but birds snap up the berries fairly quickly after they’ve been in the cold for a while. This plant loves wet feet so if you find it you can almost always be sure there is water nearby. Native Americans used many parts of it medicinally but they knew how to prepare it so it would cure and not make them sick.

There must be many millions of acorns falling this year; I would guess enough to call it a mast year. In a mast year the trees grow a bumper crop and produce much more fruit than in a non-mast year. Scientists believe that by sometimes producing huge amounts of seed that at least some will survive being eaten by birds and animals and grow into trees. Having been outside most of my life I can say that many acorns survive intact until spring in a mast year. I’ve spent a good deal of time raking them up.

Native witch hazels (Hamamelis virginiana) often lose their chlorophyll in an odd way. Sometimes in winter you see these leaves wearing a warm, rosy brown which is very beautiful against the snow.

Red maples (Acer rubrum) aren’t always red in the fall, but they’re almost always unbelievably beautiful and we have many millions of them here in our 4.8 million acres of forest. Over the years I’ve heard different people say that these tree colors “can’t be real,” and that there must be some kind of camera trick involved, but I’m here to tell you that they are indeed very real and there is no trickery involved. This photo is exactly how it came out of the camera, so if you feel that what you see here is some kind of trick I would suggest that before determining the reality of a thing you might want to experience it for yourself. Many millions of people from every country on earth come here to see the autumn foliage each year. Maybe you should too.

This view of the Ashuelot River in Keene was another that held more varying shades of green than anything else but I thought it was so beautiful and peaceful I had to include it. I hope you think so too, and I really do wish you could experience it for yourselves. At this time of year you can find people who have lived here their entire lives just standing and staring, and I think that’s because when you see something like this for a time you’re taken away to a higher place. I stood and stared for a while myself, forgetting that I was supposed to be taking photos for you.
The first act of awe, when man was struck with the beauty or wonder of nature, was the first spiritual experience. ~Henryk Skolimowski
Thanks for stopping in.
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Posted in Nature, Scenery / Landscapes, Things I've Seen | Tagged Acorns, Ashuelot River, Birches, Bittersweet Nightshade, Blueberry Fall Color, Canon EOS Rebel T6, Cinnamon Fern Fall Color, Dog Lichen, Fall Color, Gilsum New Hampshire, Keene, Lichens, Mast Year, Native Plants, Nature, New Hampshire, NH, Olympus Stylus TG-870, Purple Love Grass, Red Maple, Swanzey New Hampshire, Virginia Creeper in Fall, White Ash, Witch Hazel | 29 Comments
Looks like autumn is off to a beautiful start in NH.
Yes, and it’s moving quickly!
Looks like you are headed into a beautiful and colorful fall. We are starting to see fall colors slowly entering the landscape now too. I hope it will continue slowly.
Thanks Montucky, I hope so too! I’m glad the snow didn’t spoil it for you.
Wonderful colours, Allen. I love the cinnamon ferns and that last photo is gorgeous!
Thank you Clare. Cinnamon ferns are fairly common and grow just about everywhere I go. This time of year is when they’re at their most beautiful, in my opinion.
That last shot shows why I like to walk that trail in late afternoon!
I wait to view your blog when I can appreciate the beauty and want a pick-me-up. As usual, your photos and descriptions are wonderful. My fav this time is the final photo, reminds me of a White Mountain School paintings of the 1800’s. Thank you!
Thanks very much Sophie, I thought that one looked painterly too!
Lotsa pretty fall color, Allen! Not very much here yet, but I’m looking forward to it.
Thank you Ginny. I hope you’ll see a lot of color this year!
I liked the last picture a lot so I am glad that you included it.
Thanks!
Beautiful shots. I think we are having an above average foliage season this year, don’t you think? After many not-so-great years, it’s a welcome sight. I expect there will be lots of leaf peepers for the next two weeks.
Thank you Eliza. Two days ago I would have said no but over the past couple of days the colors have really started kicking in.
There already are a lot of leaf peepers here. Traffic is getting a bit heavy!
I just have to look out of my window to admire the wonders of changing colours on out maples in the yard- Looking out to the other side I can admire the red oak still in green.
I’m glad to know that you have fall colors on your trees Zyriacus. Geographically I’m not sure who has good colors and who doesn’t.
I had never heard of the term “mast year.” Glad to learn this description as it certainly is a mast year. There is such a rain of acorns on our roof that it sounds as though a flood of small stones is dropping. Lovely, lovely colors in your photos. Not artificial at all. Aren’t we lucky to live in New England in the fall?
Thank you Laurie. Yes, we sure are!
We have just as many acorns dropping here and the tree colors have just started popping over the last day or two.
The times they are a-changin’
Yes, and getting cooler too!
Fortunately I have plenty of warm clothing. 🙂 Keep yourself wrapped up too and able to continue sending all those beautiful photos.
Thank you Ben. I hope to be able to do both!
Me too. 🙂
Outstanding post, Allen! Thanks for the walk. Oaks are my favorite trees.
Marie in Michigan 🙂
Thank you Marie! I hope you and your sister see some great color there this fall!
Beautiful! No poison ivy turning red yet?
On Wed, Oct 2, 2019, 5:07 AM New Hampshire Garden Solutions New Hampshire Garden Solutions posted: ” Fall came early this year I > think, but for what must be the first time I’m noticing how dependent on > temperature and weather the foliage colors are. We had some quite cool > nights a week or two ago and that started things off but then it got hot > again; i” >
Thank you Ron. Not that I’ve seen! Lots of yellow though.
Thank you for capturing the autumn colours, so beautiful.
You’re welcome Susan, I’m glad you enjoyed them.