A Vibrant Autumn Glow

The remaining autumn leaves have become as vibrant as possible around here and those on the ground have mostly flown away by now. With today's 20-30 mph winds, I've definitely seen them flying! I photographed some trees and plants at the local park at just the moment when they were at their peak and before they flew away. 

How great are these leaves? This photo is actually my desktop wallpaper right now.

Stepping back a little, you can see those leaves on the shrub/mini tree next to the gazebo. The leaves looked almost electric at that time of day.

Here's a close-up view through the gazebo. Isn't that moss on the roof cool? I just noticed what I assume is a greened copper pipe under that roof.

What perfect late afternoon light! My favorite time to take outdoor photos is somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 PM. I think you get the best balance of bright and warm light around that time. I was just thinking about how that might change with the seasons, but really 3:30-4:00 works best for me year-round. 

This area is the herb garden. Of course, it's more full of herbs in the summer. The hardy ones are still out now, though. Even with the garden somewhat died back, I think this area looks cool. The trees are adding a little drama at this stage of the year.

Here's "Autumn Snow" Candytuft, reminding me of a snowy owl.

And here you can see where the "snow" part comes in! It looks like snow falling from a cloud! And I suppose because this happens in autumn, it's "Autumn Snow".

There are several stone benches around the gardens, mostly in tribute or memorial to people. I especially liked the legs on this one. The plant theme is perfect for its location. This was the perfect time to be photographing stone designs as well as nature. All the details showed up in this light.

Tall, fluffy grasses in their seed stage:

This is one of my favorite photos of the day. I always enjoy a leaf on the walkway photo. 🍁🍂🍃

This tree is a "Katsura" and was donated to the park in 1957. It was already 38 years old at that point! Now obviously when I took this photo, it was a little late to observe its leaves. But I just read that in autumn, this tree's leaves give off a scent similar to candy corn. Maybe if I'm near this tree next September or October I'll give the leaves a sniff. 

You can just pretend you are walking along with me here.

Closer and closer... Do you see that metal lamp hanging up there? It's shaped like a flower. Those lamps do light up in the summer evenings. I just noticed what I think is a green gourd in the upper left?

And closer still. I love this picture. It's like a doorway to another world when you close in on the exit. And that doorway is absolutely glowing with the light on those leaves.

Isn't this park/garden beautiful in fall? I feel a little warmer just looking over these photos. 

I discovered some music on YouTube just now that I think is a perfect fit with these photos: Celtic Music & Autumn Forest Ambience  

If you play this while looking over the photos again, I think you'll find it relaxing. It would work especially well if you view the photos as a slideshow. I do that by clicking on the first photo to enlarge it and then going forward with the --> key.