Monday, 15 November 2010
Sometimes the tulip poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera) really rock in the fall. I’ve always had a soft spot for their leaf-shape, which, for a long time, I thought was why the word tulip in the name. Turns out it has to do with the flowers instead.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
As many times as I have driven across bridges over the Etowah or stood on its banks, I don’t ever remember thinking about the upper elevations of the Etowah’s catchment area.
Today, lead by diligent and experienced guides, we traipsed around in gorgeous Chattahoochee National Forest crossing many thankfully seasonally low-water creeks, under incoming cloud cover, all in the upper Etowah watershed. The sky was often dull, but the woods were lovely, with a few brilliant leaves overhead, and many (shuffle shuffle) underfoot.
Perhaps the most striking bloom we found were a few specimens of closed gentian ( Gentiana clausa—or maybe it’s another closed gentian species—what do I know?).
Friday, 12 November 2010
Great light this afternoon, just about the best the autumnal weather offers….
And this yellow rose—nothing to do with Texas or a woman from there….
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
I know we only had a time change, but the sunlight seems to have a different quality in the late afternoon, which of course used to be only a slightly different late afternoon.
Here’s that warm winter light on crape myrtle trunks—these are some large specimens of Lagerstroemia spp.
Monday, 8 November 2010
I sidestepped walking to the park today, so this is from yesterday’s visit. Autumn brings down the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) needles; most are brown, but every once in a while a green sprig comes down, too.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
I find the weather screweeeeeee these days. We were sunny and hot, and now we’ve switched to cold and rainy (in Atlanta’s autumnal range). And yet not all the vegetation has subscribed to the lower temps. The azalea in the back yard is in glorious bloom–and we found this camellia on our walk (to Movies Worth Seeing, a still-open independent “video” rental store).
Monday, 25 October 2010
Flowers from yesterday.
I very much appreciated the rain this morning—although it delayed the dawn and had me nervous from the lightening and general storminess—because it’s gotten so dry here.
Sunday, 24 October 2010
This fall giant is unknown to me—gorgeous, with a subtle blush to the petals. When still closed, I could see that the trumpet was twisted before it opened. Or as it opened. Something.
Saturday, 23 October 2010
I didn’t stop long enough by these flowers to do a good job of capturing the magic of the sunlight coming through the petals. Trust me, it was special.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Walking down the sidewalk, lost in thought, all of a sudden I realized that the crunching underfoot did not match acorn crunches. Now, we have big acorns, small acorns, and lots of medium-sized acorns, and I am vaguely familiar with what they feel and sound like underfoot. (I especially worry about the big ones, which can be like striding on ball bearings.)
The crunch I felt and heard today was different, higher in tone, and crunchier. Which may sound silly.
Definitely not acorn sounds.
I looked down. Aha! I looked up. Yup. Beechnuts.
The photo? Well, the Squirrel Clan is the reason I found the beechnuts on the sidewalk, and broken open so they’d be so crunchy under my feet. This specimen, however, is a Park Squirrel—different clan—also open to begging as well as gathering in the usual squirrelly manner.