Cavan Reflections

By: Anne Corke

Sep 30 2014

Tags: autumn, birds, country life, landscape, nature, Photography

Category: Ontario, Photography, Rural Landscapes, Rural Nature

1 Comment

Just the other day, I was reading the scientific explanation for the different foliage colours that our trees sport in the fall and while it was most interesting, it’s not really necessary to understand the process to appreciate the magic that is autumn in the Kawarthas. Every fall, I am enchanted by the rainbow hues that dress the hills and valleys and reflect in the lakes and rivers of our lovely countryside.

This time of year finds me out cruising the backroads with cameras by my side. I tend to stick to the backroads for my own safety and that of the general driving public since I am liable to stop suddenly when confronted by a colourful vista and anyone following could quite possibly end up in my backseat (in the front seat in the Del Sol!). To wander down a country road where golden birches are strung with ruby red Virginia creeper and neon reds and oranges of the sugar maples explode against the bright blue sky like terrestrial fireworks is to experience the surreal beauty of autumn in Ontario. Is it any wonder that tourists flock to the area to see the fall colours. It’s like stepping into a fabulous painting where white cumulus clouds scatter sunlight across fields strewn with wild purple asters and bright plumes of goldenrod, and sumac leaves wave gracefully in the cool breeze like tattered scarlet flags. Every turn in the road reveals another beautiful aspect of the landscape.

I pause now and then to listen to the farewell songs of migrating birds, to smell the fresh furrows of newly plowed fields, to soak up the warm autumn sunshine. At my feet, woolly bear caterpillars hustle across the road. Above my head, turkey vultures ride the thermals. (Like oil paintings, they look better from a distance!) Monarch butterflies float by on their way south. Milkweed seeds drift across the fields suspended from fluffy parachutes. Falling leaves rustle softly as they settle on the road. Time seems suspended. Mother Nature has me in her peaceful embrace and all is well.

Copyright 2014 Anne Corke