Love the fall...

To keep in the spirit of the fall, I thought I would shed some light on my new re-discoveries.  Last year, at this time, I was taking a class called Broadleaf Plant Identification.  This class focused on plants that mostly stayed green and did not lose their leaves during the winter.  Because you are so focused on learning the plants, you tend to ignore all the other plants out there.  The broadleaf plants stand out, everything fades into the background.  So the fall colors were okay but they weren't important to me as I didn't know the trees and was focused on something else (a typical problem encountered each quarter with a new ID class).

And then we finally got to the deciduous plants in my spring ID class.  But they weren't changing colors then, just leafing out.  And while it was great to learn the plants and see their blossoms, we didn't see them in their truly colorful stage.  So now that I know these plants, the world has opened to me, much like it has with every new thing I learn.  And of course, because it's education about my outside world, it literally means the world around me is opening up.  It's a very cool experience and one that I enjoy sharing if you couldn't tell from my posts throughout the year :)

So, I would like to point out a few of the plants that I have been walking by lately that have made a great impression on me...

First off... Euonymus alatus 'Compactus' or dwarf winged euonymus

Uh yeah, let's just look at that color.  This is not photo-shopped and, like all these other photos, is taken by my phone!  This plant can seem rather boring all other times of the year but in the fall, it stands out in this hot pink color.  And when I say hot pink, I mean it!  It is one of the more vivid fall colors out there.  This bush is just cool and although most of its leaves are gone, it's had quite a run!

Next we have Cornus kousa or the Kousa dogwood

Close-up of leaves

Kousa dogwood in front of a red maple

Although the Kousa dogwood is in the shade in front of the red maple in this picture, you can see from the picture of the leaves above it, it has a very rich coral color.  The leaves are also unique and it provides such a nice pop of color in this smaller-growing tree.  And of course, let's not ignore the red maple (Acer rubrum)... stunning as well.

And last but not least... the sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

Colors from beautiful gold to...

Hot oranges and corals

This tree has such a stunning array of colors!  It is best when the light catches it... so beautiful.  And now I put it all together... this is a dominant tree on the east coast and probably one of the reasons the fall colors there are so beautiful...

Conway, Massachusetts

I'm not sure if these trees are sugar maples, but this is the beautiful scenery that greeted us when we visited a friend going to school near this spot in 2010.  And, on a side note, it just so happens the same college is the top contender for my next scholastic school move... Conway School of Landscape Design.


But back to here... just a few more... here are the kids enjoying their afternoon stroll...

Milo in his new hoody

Fynn checkin out the scene

Happy fall everyone!


PS.  If you get a chance, go see a fabulous fall-themed show the Seattle Women's Chorus is presenting.  This weekend is the last weekend for Hallows in the Cathedral.  Truly a VERY cool show... I mean just look at the scenery...

So spooky!  Enjoy... we sure did!