Our season of Autumn is especially beautiful this year.
Maybe we haven't had enough wind or rain these last two months because the leaves are lingering on the trees, glowing with colors that seem more vibrant than other years.
I'm noticing many more reds in the landscape than usual. Even the fruit trees are turning red instead of displaying the usual golden and brown tones.
I've heard that the intensity of fall color is influenced by the amount of rain during the summer and fall. We've had lower amounts of rain than usual since August.
Here in the temperate Pacific Northwest we don't have the hardwoods and sugar maples that other parts of the country have so usually our fall colors tend to be golden but I'm loving the extra reds this year. These beauties are native dogwoods that flower gorgeously in the spring.
With our hilly, mountainous landscape, the colors often look like a patchwork quilt in the distance. The orchards are planted in alternating rows of variety for pollination and in the fall this causes stripes of colors. The low field is blueberries, a new crop for our valley.
Right now we are having an extra bonus of exceptionally warm weather too. It was near 70 degrees today so we are savoring the last of the sunshine. All too soon, cold rain will arrive.
