Fall, finally
Peak color, millpond
In the realm of what nature photographers often call "leaf porn," this shot, taken from the millpond dam, is probably the "leaf porniest." Mea culpa. Every year, when fall color starts to arrive, I walk down to the pond in the late afternoon and watch and photograph the last rays of sunlight filtering through the swamp maples. This year, given the drought, the defoliation by gypsy moths and subsequent refoliation, and the lack of enough warm days and chilly nights, I had scant hope of documenting a stand-out show, but, at long last, the maple leaves have crafted enough anthocyanin, the red pigment, to be worthy of their Acer rubrum name. Finally, it's high autumn. Finally, we have our proper colors in the woods and fields.