we logged almost twenty miles of trail walking last weekend in northern minnesota.  and i picked up and carried home only one leaf: this one that looks as if it is about to burst into flame. or as if it has already burned, and the embers are still smoldering. I photographed this on white paper set on the bumper of my car. so there is no special lighting or photshopping creating that spine of fire.

autumn leaf

superior national forest, gunflint trail, minnesota

what a thrill it was to be up in the superior national forest last weekend while the tamaracks were turning yellow.  they must have been at their peak, for i have never noticed before just how abundant they are up there. when they are green they blend with all the red and white pine, jack pine, and spruce. but when they are yellow, you can’t miss them.

this little sapling was about one meter high and caught our attention because it was still in transition to its fall colors. now i am wondering if they all turn yellow from the trunk out, like this one? or whether this guy was the exception, not the rule.  steve and eva stood behind it with four sheets of white tag board to get the shot.

tamarack sapling in ocotober

superior national forest, minnesota

we logged several miles on isolated trails in northern minnesota this past weekend. i walked past so many colorful mushrooms i couldn’t identify, that on the last trail of the last day i decided to gather several of them so i could begin my education.

wild mushrooms of northern minnesota’s boreal forest

gunflint trail, grand marais, minnesota

we spent the weekend in northern minnesota on the north shore of lake superior. the town of grand marais sits up against our remarkable inland sea on one side, and backs up against the superior national forest and boundary waters canoe area on the other. it’s as close to boreal wilderness as you can find in the lower 48 states, with the possible exception of northern maine. we spent every morning and afternoon walking trails. it’s what we do there. we walk ourselves and our grateful dog to exhaustion and then return to town for dinner and a warm fire. i love it. this simple starburst pattern of gathered colors and shapes practically arranged itself after our first day’s hike.

rose hip, alder cones, fall leaves, yellow primrose petals, fox tail stems, alder seeds

superior national forest, gunflint trail, minnesota

the days are getting blustery. the deer and wood ducks are browsing on fallen acorns. the walnuts trees are dropping walnuts, and the apple trees are dropping apples. it is no longer possible to pretend that winter isn’t on its way. but millions of tiny goats beard parachutes landed in millions of fields and alleys and ditches last summer, where they are waiting to turn into millions of yellow goats beard flowers next summer. amen.

goats beard seed

saint paul, minnesota