November 2019 – Nature Almanac

Here in Philadelphia…

November 2019 – An autumn walk n the woods. The leaves are still on the trees. The beautiful golds, reds and russets colors are blazing against clear deep blue skies. The daytime temperatures are in the 60s (Fahrenheit). It just cool enough that you want to work and walk outside. Insects like flies, bees, wasps, and gnats are still active. But not in the numbers that were flying six weeks ago.

A Red Door, A New Chapter

I took a leisurely walk through the forest the other day.

forest_autumn — Forest in vivid autumn hues. Schuylkill Center.

I took this photo with my cell phone using a “vivid” filter. The filter gave a moody almost eerie quality to the scene. It was a clear, sunny day with a brilliant cloudless sky. The photo looks very different than the reality. Like celebrity photos.

fire_pond_autumn — Fire pond at Schuylkill Center in autumn.

A pair of White-throated Sparrows flew away as I approached the pond. I sat underneath birch trees on a bench. I heard several “plops, plops” as frogs took cover in the murky, green water. The “vivid” filter on my phone camera, washed out the brilliant blue sky, and saturated the reds and golds.

donna_selfie_autumn_forest — Me and a mysterious door in the forest.

Notice the red door in the background. It is an art installation entitled, Welcome Home (2013) by Vaughn Bell. The door really opens.

It is one of those images that makes you think. I think of new directions, unanswered questions, the courage to turn the knob and step through to something new.

What does the photograph make you think of?