Just as the calendar shows us passing the autumnal equinox last week, it seems that nature is truly slipping into fall here in Minnesota. Our nights are getting cooler and the sun is lacking the heat it had even a few weeks ago. Yesterday morning we got up early to drive south to Wabasha, a town that sits right on the Mississippi River in the heart of the bluff country. The air was heavy with moisture and we drove through thick fog in places. As we were going to be helping some friends harvest grapes in their vineyard, we had been hoping for a sunny and warm day. When we arrived at their home overlooking the Mississippi River Valley we were still in the fog, but I was delighted to be able to divert my attention from the grapes to photographing their gardens. These fall-colored mums were in full bloom, and upon closer examination I saw that they were laced with the dew of this damp morning. The fog and low clouds eventually gave way to sunshine and a warm-enough fall day as we worked throughout the morning and afternoon picking grapes. The time passed quickly with conversation amongst friends, and our fingers and hands became stained and coated with the color and smell of the ripe grapes. By the time we drove home after a celebratory dinner preceded by a toast to the wine harvest, the clouds had passed and the sky was filled with a full canopy of stars overhead.
fall
American lotus
I was traveling south this past week for the Thanksgiving holiday. In order to avoid a nasty ice and sleet storm I left a day earlier than originally planned. This gave me a bit of time to visit the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Missouri. Located along the Missouri River floodplain, the refuge is on the flyway for migrating waterfowl and birds as they head south for warmer climates. As I drove through the refuge I was serenaded by the sounds of thousands of ducks and snow geese, all enjoying a gray late-fall day. Amongst the waterfowl were these past-prime American lotus plants and blooms. I’m sure that their bright blooms were beautiful in the summer sun, however their lines and shapes created beautiful patterns and reflections as the spent blooms rested on the water’s surface.
The yin and yang of autumn
I spent today outside raking leaves and thinking about the season of autumn. With a sunny and unseasonably warm day it was delightful to be outside. And yet I was raking up a yard-full of dry and brittle leaves which have left our trees as skeletons in the landscape. I was sad that the brilliant colors of fall were now behind us, and I was missing the constant chatter of the geese as they would fly over our house throughout the summer. And yet I was appreciative of this warm and sunny day, and of the smell of fall that was evident in the air.
We were in western Minnesota yesterday when this image was taken. The high clouds created their own patterns in the sky, allowing the sun to filter through at certain angles. As we drove through this prairie landscape, I was amazed at the fall beauty. Here in the small town of Cyrus was a small slough with cattails and some trees — a very common sight. And yet when the sun cut through some of the clouds it brought a most brilliant shimmer and light to the surface of the water. It’s a common sight in Minnesota, and yet one that I will never grow tired of seeing.
Late fall colors
We’ve been enjoying one of the longest fall seasons and one of the warmest, resulting in some of the most beautiful fall colors I’ve seen since moving to Minnesota. The bright colors that are characteristic of the beginning of fall are now gone and we’re enjoying the more subtle shades of gold and rust. Perhaps it’s all part of Mother Nature’s plan to nudge us more gently into winter. But with colors like these leaves that I found earlier in the week, I’ll gladly relish in the beauty of this fall.
Fall daybreak over the Mississippi River
Our fall colors have been changing rapidly. Knowing that they won’t be lasting much longer, I took a day off work and left the house before 6:00am. I drove southeast in the darkness and caught up with the Mississippi River. On a bluff above the river in Frontenac State Park I enjoyed the quiet and beauty of daybreak over the Mississippi. The morning was cool and coated the grasses and fall flowers with a light dew. And yet as the sun rose there was the promise of a warm Indian summer day ahead. As I focused my camera down the river to Lake Pepin I heard a rustling in the grasses to my right. Just as I glanced in that direction, a large doe leapt through the little bluestem and bounded down the hill — the only sound breaking the quiet. I spent the remainder of this warm day wandering the hillsides and bluffs on either side of the Mississippi River, in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The following days were windy and blustery, and I’m certain many of the remaining leaves found their way down to the ground. In the short span of this past week, the landscape has changed dramatically, getting closer to the inevitable first hard frost and winter.
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