Cavan Reflections

By: Anne Corke

Oct 13 2011

Tags: autumn, fall foliage, Fleming College, landscape

Category: Rural Landscapes, Rural Nature

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Fall colours are almost at their peak and, although flowers are scarce, nature’s palette is as bright as ever. Now is the time, not to stop and smell the roses (though my climber is still blooming), but to revel in the amazing rainbow of colour which lights the countryside like neon. I have been tucking my camera into my pocket when heading out with the dogs so I can capture a bit of this year’s dazzling finale while they stop and sniff. (They are getting used to waiting for me while I take yet another picture.) In this shot, taken from the path between the Wellness Centre and Fleming College, sumacs in orange and red fill the foreground. Behind them, the orange and yellow maples in the College woods contrast beautifully with the misty blue hills in the distance. And it’s not just the trees that colour our world in the fall. Many of my perennials display colourful foliage, too. The common butterfly weed’s leaves have turned a soft butter yellow, while the more exotic hybrid sports a peachy glow. The evening primrose’s orange foliage would give a maple a run for it’s money. Early frosts have painted the peonies leaves in muted reds and yellows. The east end of the rock garden glows with the salmon pink leaves of the geranium. On the shady north side of the house, the pastel pink blooms of the turtlehead are overshadowed by the leaves of the burning bush which have turned a startling shade of fuchsia. In the backyard, the golden leaves of the birch are falling quickly but the two gingko trees are still green. The kiwi vine on the south wall, so pretty in pink, white and green in the summer, is now a vision in copper. Out in the wild, the common milkweed seems less common now that it’s leaves have turned glorious gold and bronze. Different varieties of dogwood decorate the verge of our road with leaves of pink or peach or deep purple. In the woods, the pale pink leaves of wild raspberry bushes light up the understory. Another eye-catcher is Virginia creeper which drapes over the trees in hot shades of yellow, orange and red. Along the roadside, bunches of dark blue wild grapes decorate a fallen tree, and jewel-like clusters of ruby red currants hang from bronze-leaved branches, an autumn feast for the birds. Be sure to get out and enjoy all that fall has to offer. Look around you and marvel at the works of “That Old Master Painter”. Beautiful!