Fall afternoon walk
On Sunday afternoon, my wife and I took a leisurely walk through our extended neighborhood. The weather was as nice as a day in late fall can be, and I made a conscious effort to enjoy all the wonderful things I love about this time of year. Very soon—tonight, in fact—the weather will change dramatically, and the wind and rain that are about to descend on us will blow the remaining leaves out of the trees.
Greenbelt near our house; the paved “road” is actually a path for bikes and pedestrians
Greenbelt near our house
Amazing how quickly the grass grows as soon as we have our first fall rains!
The Sacramento Valley isn’t exactly a fall color destination..
…but there are pockets of color…
…even in public spaces
California buckeye (Aesculus californica), always the first shrub to lose its foliage—it starts to turn brown as early as August!
Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis)
Residential fall color
White birch (Betula pendula)
Pebbles and red leaves
Calendula (Calendula officinalis) surrounded by fallen leaves
Dead palm tree trunk; a testament to wishful thinking!
The moss on the rock is thick and lush now; in the heat of summer it’s flat and withered
Still blooming: lantana (Lantana camera or hybrid) along a dry creek in a front yard
In peak bloom: coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis)
Coyote bush flowers
We also came across a beautifully landscaped front yard sporting not one, not two, but four of my favorite leucadendrons. Check this post for details and photos.
Thank you! I do love to see what my fellow garden bloggers enjoy on their walks, since I've forced you all to come along on several of mine. So that palm. It looks like a Trachycarpus trunk....those aren't happy in your part of the world?
ReplyDeleteI'll do more posts like this one. I love walking through different neighborhoods but photography is tough in the summer when the light is so harsh; much easier now with the softer light of fall and winter.
DeleteTrachycarpus is perfectly hardy here--in fact, there are two healthy specimens in the same planting strip. My comment about "wishful thinking" referred to the homeowners possibly thinking that this trunk, which looks quite dead to me, will sprout healthy new foliage one of these days. I don't think that will happen.
Thanks for taking us along Gerhard! You live in a nice, green area with plenty of plants and well maintained front gardens. I quite like the bare framework of deciduous trees and shrubs during autumn and winter, they are pretty in their own right.
ReplyDeleteI agree! For me, one of the most exciting sights of winter are bare trees.
DeleteThat greenbelt is such a treasure -- you're lucky to have something like that nearby!
ReplyDeleteDuring fall and winter it's important to get out and enjoy the nice days when they appear.
Right now (10:40 am) it's so dark we need the lights on and it's pouring like there's no tomorrow. Makes me glad we took that walk on Sunday!
DeleteThank you for taking us with you on your walk. You do have great colors and beautiful neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI love that shot of the stones with the red leaves! Excellent post!
ReplyDelete