Its the middle of September, but it still feels like summer here. Nights and mornings have begun getting cooler, but still in the 80s during the day. What little bit of fall foliage turning color we get is still a few months away. So what do I do when I long to take photos of beautiful autumn forest in full fall color? I try to travel, usually a trip to see family in New England or out to the mountains in Western NC. But I don’t always have as much time as I would like, and getting the foliage just right can be a bit unpredictable no matter how closely I watch the foliage reports. Even in locales that get amazing fall foliage, it really only last a month, an peak color only about a week.
So here is a short list of other fall seasonal themed photo ideas, that don’t focus on the grand landscape shots. Instead think about the smaller details, that are less dramatic but, to me, are equally impactful.
Seasonal harvests, pumpkins, apples, or cotton.
Fall activities and festivals: county fairs, getting lost in a corn maze, apple picking, trick or treating. Really focus on family activities that will be memorable for years to come.
Macro photography of a single leaf. Like in the photo above, of brilliant red virginia creeper leaves in an otherwise green and brown landscape, you may be able to find patches of bright autumn color.
Other plants with fall interest: A garden displaying autumn mum flowers, dunes covered in golden grasses, pine cones, acorns, colorful berries.
Seasonal foods: Apple cider, pumpkin spice latte, hot chocolate, baking for thanksgiving.
Here is a collection of images, some of them my own photos, from Society6 to provide more inspiration.
Right now, we are in the last few weeks of summer, and to be honest, I just want fall to be here. I feel like I’ve been in a creative slump as far as my photography goes, the heat, the bugs, early sunrises, and crowds make it difficult to get out. Also, some of my favorite hiking areas are still closed due to damage from Hurricane Florence last September. But still, there is plenty of beauty around me, if I just take the time to appreciate it. Like these pretty wildflowers I found around my yard.
Bee Balm. I love the interesting, multi tiered structure of these flowers.
Groundnut, Apios Americana. These flowers are easy to overlook because of their marron, brownish color, but up close they are quite pretty. Also, they are a perennial edible legume. So I may have to do some more research into these and add them to my garden.
Wild grapes. These don’t taste good, I’ll just leave them for wildlife to forage.
*all photos taken and edited with my iphone
Just this last week it has finally gotten cold enough for hat weather! And I have a nice cheerful, colorful new hat. This hat came a a kit from Blue Sky Fibers that contains 21 mini skeins of yarn and instructions for a slouchy beanie. The yarn is very nice, pretty colors and not scratchy. I bought the kit this summer, and broke my hand about a week later, before I had a chance to begin knitting it. It was about a month before I was able to knit or crochet again. At first it was slow going, but I’m convinced that knitting helped me to rehabilitate my hand more quickly.
I love the inside too, so much that I considered wearing the hat inside out.
I am the type of person who, when I hear about a boardwalk trail through a swamp, cannot wait to go hike it. Provided that the weather is too cold for mosquitoes of course. And snakes. Since moving to the south I have come to appreciate the strange, primordial forests filled with amazing biodiversity and interesting plants. Recently, I came across a pin of the Ponkapoag Bog Trail in the Blue Hills Reservation, and pretty close to my parents house. Naturally, the vegetation was quite different from the dismal swamps I see in the South.
The trail begins following a narrow boardwalk through a corridor of trees. Mostly small trees and shrubs.
Then the trail opened into a beautiful meadow surrounded by small pine trees. The ground was not solid here, but actually quite soggy; as I discovered accidentally when I stepped off the boardwalk to let another hiker pass. The “grass” is mostly moss, with some pretty red and gold colors. The white fluffy things are the seed heads of cotton grass.
Finally, the view of Ponkapoag Pond at the end of the trail, a pretty scene framed by lush foliage, which had just started to turn.
This was a really interesting and pretty easy trail, about 2 miles roundtrip. It was narrow though, on busy weekends that might be a problem.
I’m always amazed that for as long as I lived in the Boston area, there is still so much I haven’t seen. Of course this means when I go back there to visit family, there is always something new to do. On my recent trip I took several new to me hikes, including Purgatory Chasm. It was surprisingly crowded considering the cold weather and that there was a football game on. I didn’t mind seeing other people though, its nice to see families spending time together outdoors.
For so late in October, the foliage was still surprisingly green, but the woods were still beautiful. I especially enjoyed the rocky terrain, which is so different from the flat ground and sandy soil around my home in North Carolina.
Overall, the hike was pretty easy. The trail I took started along the top of the Chasm, tracking alongside it, with interesting views down to the floor of the gorge. Then there was the option for a short side hike to Little Purgatory, which follows a stream to a series of little waterfalls. Finally, hiking back out through the Chasm. This part was a little more challenging, with lots of big boulders to scrabble over, but fun.
The hike was beautiful, and although I got some good shots, I’m not thrilled with my photos. The mid afternoon light was uneven, and with dark rocks and bright sky.
I would love to come back to this spot in the winter. I think that with the leaves off the trees the landscape would look even more dramatic, I might even be lucky enough to get some ice or snow. With the late afternoon, just before sunset, light at my back I could get some beautiful shots looking up the Chasm.
Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, and toss until everything is lightly coated with the vinaigrette.
Blue cheese. Cranberries. Pecans. Yum! This salad is one of my favorite fall dishes. The tart flavors are a great contrast to the comfort foods I usually enjoy this time of year. I frequently eat it for lunch or dinner when Jon isn’t home (he doesn’t believe salad counts as a meal). Or sometimes I leave out the chicken and divide between several servings for side salad.
Then the trail opened into a beautiful meadow surrounded by small pine trees. The ground was not solid here, but actually quite soggy; as I discovered accidentally when I stepped off the boardwalk to let another hiker pass. The “grass” is mostly moss, with some pretty red and gold colors. The white fluffy things are the seed heads of cotton grass.