Fall Colors

Sun Through Maple

It seems that every October when I’m looking for a topic to write about that fall color tops the list. Maybe that’s because those of us who live in Michigan are so blessed to have such strikingly brilliant and diverse colors bestowed upon us each fall. I have lived all but one fall of my life in Michigan and that fall was spent in Wisconsin, yet somehow I never seem to tire of our splendid fall displays here. It seems that each year brings new and exciting scenes and splashes of color to be discovered as chlorophyll gives way to the natural pigments in the leaves.

Aspen

Often times we just drive around the state or go for a Sunday afternoon color tour close to home and enjoy the colors from our vehicles. While this is a great way to see the colors when we don’t have a lot of time and it can also be a great way to find places to look more closely. If you know me or follow my blog you will probably begin to see that I enjoy the natural world in many different ways but especially up close and personal. I would like to challenge you to not only experience the colors from a distance with the “Monet” effect of splashes of color but to stop and look more closely. All of those colorful scenes with red, yellow, orange and maroon colored trees are made up of individual leaves on that tree that eventually fall and color the forest floor. Take time to stop and look closely at the red leaves of Red Maple or the yellow and oranges of the Sugar Maple, the yellows of Birches, Aspens, Ironwood, Witch-hazel’s and others. Look at the leaves closely for veins or insect holes that can add a layer of beauty and interest. Don’t forget the crimson red in the Virginia Creeper with its red stems and blue colored berries as well as Poison Ivy vines with their white berries and remember to look but don’t touch. Also don’t forget to look for color on the smaller shrubs in and around woodlands like the Maple-leaf Virburnum or the Blueberry.

The Villiage at Grand Traverse

Shooting and viewing the fall colors with an element of architecture can make for some nice photos that add a different perspective to the scene, since we all have myriad collections of pictures of just trees and leaves.

There are still flowers adding color to the fall scene that can be enjoyed also. While many of us are used to seeing white and purple asters along the road and in fields there are others still blooming. I found some Evening Primrose still in bloom the other day and some members of the sunflower family are still blooming. October is also proper time to not only view the brilliant yellow leaves of the Witch-hazel, but the thin ribbon like flowers as well. Berries of flowers long gone also add a dimension of color to the show.

If you are a forager then you will know that now it the time to look for nuts such as walnuts, hickories and beech nuts, all good to eat. Remember when foraging for wild foods be absolutely positive of you identification.

There is currently much spectacular color in the northern of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and it is moving south, so get out and take a closer look at the beauty waiting to be seen.