The days are getting shorter. Summer is gone; Indian summer is just a tease as the days and nights grow colder. Today a large storm system is passing through the U.S. northeast and it will drop a lot of rain. But yesterday this happened. (See above photo)
The last few weeks have been stressful. Not to go into too much detail but one family member has just been deployed. Another is having a melt down of their life with all kinds of issues including a rather nasty tangle with the law. This would not be fun at the best of times — and these are anything but the best of times.
But then Nature does something like this with this magnificent maple tree, and with a lot of other trees in the area. We seem to be at or near peak color in this area. The trees are shutting down for the winter; soon the leaves will be falling. But the break down of chlorophyll that colors the leaves green reveals the other pigments that it was masking.
There’s a wave of color marching down from the north to eventually peter out as it runs into the warmer southern regions. It’s one last blaze of color before the dark. (I wonder if they take time to see it from the I.S.S.? The view from above is one I’d love to experience.)
As far as I know, the fall display of color has no evolutionary value for the trees — it’s an accident of biochemistry and physics that would go unmarked and unappreciated without us to behold it. Take time to savor it, and store it up in your memories until spring comes with new buds and blossoms to start the cycle over again. There is enough darkness in the world from humans that we should be grateful that Nature still provides us with a reminder that there can be beauty as well.