a rose is a rose is a rose

tamaracks are one of my favorite northern trees. they are deciduous conifer–which means they are pine trees who loose their needles every autumn just like deciduous trees. they tend to grow in clusters in boggy areas. their needles turn a brilliant golden yellow in fall before they drop. it is quite a site to see a whole bog all lit up with golden torches. while the autumn color is a magnificent thing to behold, i think my love of tamaracks comes from their diminutive cones that resemble little perfect roses. oh, and those nubby branches are an added bonus.

tamarack branch with cone (American larch) (Larix laricina)

each year is different

ferns are highly sensitive. as a result, variations in the warm day/cool-night tug of war that happens each autumn, means my ferns react differently every single year. i never know how the dying-back will go. an early frost means they might go straight from green to brown and curl up over night. extended mild temp means we will delight in golden yellow fronds being lit from within by the low-angle light.  every year different. every year a delight.

interrupted fern in october (Claytosmunda claytoniana)

my favorite fall leaves

i love the muted tones of these smoketree leaves. all these leaves came from a single branch. the gradient from green leaves at the base to wine-red at the tip is so pleasing to my eye.  more pleasing than the candy colored leaves on most of the autumn hardwoods. this is a palette i could live with in my home.

smoketree leaves

found feathers

on my shelf sits an empty starbucks cup. in that cup, i stick the feathers i pick up. this particular cup has been on my shelf  for about two years. so, this collection represents about two years of found feathers. remarkable, right?  found feathers don’t last forever. they will eventually break down and start looking quite ragged. so, i often return them to the woods after i have photographed them. someone has suggested i put them in the freezer for a bit to kill any mites they might be carrying, and this will prolong their shelf stability. i don’t know. i find a lot of feathers. the joy is in the finding. not the keeping.

collection of found feathers

all of fall in one leaf

recovering from my system crash and posting the images i made for the few days STILL was down.  while i fretted about crashed websites, nature quietly continued to do its awesome thing. amen.

staghorn sumac in october