Yes, autumn is in the air, not yet the riot of color we will have in a couple of weeks, but as I drive through the countryside I see the subtle changes that have taken place that say summer is over. My favorite places are the wetlands that have been left uncultivated. It is there that I get the first hints of each new season. Many of the small ponds are covered with thick algae and this color always brings a smile to my face. A daughter calls the green I love on my public room walls “pond scum green.” I have so many of these little memories of family life that bring me joy now that I am in the (late?) autumn of my life.
The colors of early autumn in these wetlands are subtle but taken together create a wonderful palette. Where I took these photos earlier this week, the goldenrod and white asters were scattered in abundance.
Most of the cattails were still their beautiful brown but a few were bursting with abundant hope for the future. Maybe I need to remember them when I hit those moments of “covid fatigue” and burst out my hope for a healthy and social future.
I moved from my favorite marsh and started roaming down the less traveled east/west roads, looking for scenes of autumn color. The color is mostly in the small bushes and wildflowers on country roads, although as we ran our errands in town yesterday, I saw many trees that were starting to color up.
Frequently sumac is early to change into its most brilliant coat of color. I found this one that is in the process of changing. Look at all the various colors – truly a coat of many colors.
I found some small patches of color that are “picture perfect.” I love when color and composition come together in a way that pleases my eye.
With all the small family farms in my countryside, the crops will always reflect our progressions through the seasons. Last spring was really crazy with unseasonal periods of heat and cold interspersed so farmers had a long period between plantings of corn fields. This early gap is being repeated this fall as some fields were harvested a couple of weeks ago and others are still standing, some even showing lingering green.
I had a whole week of fun putting together this post for Amy’s Lens-Artist Challenge: Colors of Autumn.
A New Day: Living Life Almost Gracefully 
Sumac is a great plant. I love the next to the last picture – is that poison ivy?
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Yes it looks like poison ivy, but I don’t do the definitive test of touching. It looks like there are several different kinds of leaves and well established vines growing there. The vines are getting pretty thick. Poison Ivey thrives in our climate.
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We don’t have it here, but we do have lots of stinging nettles.
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I remember those. I was told that the antidote grows right next to it. Is this true?
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The dock leaf.
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Lovely gentle shots 🙂 Your colours seem a little more advanced than ours in west London, but I can see hints of autumn here too now.
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So glad autumn is here…we’re finally getting away for 100 degree days…but we won’t have the kind of colors you get to enjoy…so love seeing your photos.
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Well I will be happy to share as much as I can before we head south.
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Great autumn beginnings
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Your last few posts have featured lovely text and photos of my favorite turning of- the -season time. Fall in the midwest is more a part of everyday life in that it lasts longer than the so-called unrivaled New England Fall Foliage Show – hence I believe it to be better!!!HA!
I haven’t commented till now, but I’ve been watching! Glad you’re snapping away on these lovely Michigan scenes before taking off for Florida.
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Thanks for your nice comment, Laura. I love how we kind of ease into fall and I only have a few weeks to catch what I can before we leave.
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Enjoyed your early autumn colors selections. These are beautifully captured. The last two images are my favorite!
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Those are my favorites, too, Amy. Although I really like the others for different reasons. 🙂 Amazing how our photography is tied so much to who we are – especially if we aren’t professional having to please others.
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Well said, Pat. Thank you for sharing with us!
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