Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A Little Autumn Walk

The change in weather over the weekend really messed up my sinuses, but a blend of OTC sinus medications got me functioning at near normal capacity. I heeded the manufacturers warning and refrained from operating any motor vehicles and I didn’t believe my camera was really heavy equipment, but my walk turned into more of a wander, as in “I wander why I’m not falling down?” The deer and the prairie have taken on matching colors. The meds had me doing a pretty good willow blowing in the breeze imitation, so the deer took me to be a natural part of the landscape.

During the autumn color change, a view like this gives you a good idea of the way masses of trees merge to form the forest canopy. Subtle differences in the way each tree colors, allows you to see the various trees as unique individuals.

Even though there can be a broad range of color differences within a single species, viewing the various colors displayed can give you a good idea of the diversity of species within the stand.

Most of the yellows and oranges in the woods were from the Sugar Maples. I took a leaf shot like this every time I found myself lying on my back in the woods. I got a lot of leaf shots.

The bright green leaves are primarily those of the oaks. This knowledge makes the view of the forest canopy more meaningful. It’s not a perfect system, but it quickly and easily gives you some important information about the forest.

Most of the falling leaves were from the Sugar Maples. Here they’re covering one of the walking trails I mowed not long ago. Just as I planned.

The creek is also being hidden beneath a layer of leaves.

Leaves are the primary vehicle delivering energy to the woodland stream ecosystem. A natural tributary stream is very nutrient poor. Stream organisms feed on the leaves and take the nutrients into the aquatic food chain. An entire year’s cycle of growth is dependent upon the influx of leaves during this time of year.

This old guy wasn’t slowed down by the cool weather. It won’t be long before he digs himself in to wait out the winter.

1 comment:

  1. ...beautiful! Sinuses and southern Ohio never seem to get a long...glad you're feeling better. You made me laugh...

    ReplyDelete