Autumn in Maine

October 31, 2019

One of the best times to visit the Northeast is during fall when one can enjoy the glorious colors of the season.

So far the weather here has been pretty mild. This week, we’ve had quite a bit of rain, but no hard frost - perhaps we will get one this weekend when night temperatures are expected to dip into the 30s. It’s also been warmer than usual up at Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine. Occasionally, Cheryl DuLong, who helps me care for Skylands, keeps me updated by sending photographs of the property and the surrounding areas - she is an avid photographer and nature lover. Yesterday, she sent me some glorious images showing this year’s fall foliage.

Enjoy.

: This is Upper Hadlock Pond located in Northeast Harbor. It is a 35-acre pond with a depth of 37-feet. On this morning, the weather was a bit cool, so mist can be seen over the water. Mist often forms when warmer air over the water suddenly encounters the cooler surface of land.

: Cheryl captured this photo of the beautiful reflection in Jordan Pond. Jordan Pond covers 187-acres with a maximum depth of 150-feet. The pond was formed by the Wisconsin Ice Sheet during the last glacial period. It serves as the water supply for the village of Seal Harbor.

: This view can be seen along the Great Meadow Loop Trail – a two-mile loop that features a gorgeous forest setting. The trail is popularly used for walking and running.

: And this is Little Long Pond, located just west of the village of Seal Harbor. Cheryl captured a nice reflection of the trees in the still water.

: One of my favorite places to stop whenever I am in Maine is the Asticou Azalea Garden in Northeast Harbor. Asticou Azalea Garden was created in 1956 by lifelong Maine resident, Charles Kenneth Savage, who was inspired by his love of native plants and his study of Japanese garden design. The Garden and its pond are open to the public from May to October each year. The fall colors are stunning.

: Asticou features a wonderful selection of rhododendrons and azaleas, a sand garden, and a meandering collection of fine gravel pathways.

: This photo was taken along Ocean Drive – a five-mile stretch hugging Maine’s rugged granite coastline. Cheryl is the first to admit she loves the force and the energy of the ocean, but she also has a healthy respect for it.

: Cheryl reminds everyone to “never turn your back on the ocean” – it is very powerful.

: Here’s another view with the strong waves hitting the rocks.

: This is Bubble Pond – a gorgeous little pond with a maximum water depth of nearly 40-feet. The water is so clear and still.

: These are The Bubbles. The North Bubble on the left has the highest elevation at about 872 feet. The South Bubble follows at about 766 feet. Rising over the north shore of Jordan Pond, these humps in the landscape appear rounded — like bubbles — and have long been a popular hiking destination for visitors.

: This photo was take at my home, Skylands. The sundial above this doorway is original to the house. A sundial tells the time of day using the position of the sun in the sky. It has a flat plate and a gnomon, which casts a shadow onto the dial. It is very accurate.

: On top of the western terrace, one can see the kiwi vines on the lattice pergola. These are original to the property and continue to thrive here at Skylands.

: These stairways – one from the back porch and one from where Lady Aristide Maillol’s ‘La Riviere’ lies, meet at the footpath leading to my guest house and playhouse.

: This stone footpath is just below the West Terrace. The ferns on both sides have already turned from green to yellow.

: On the left is a natural pool that fills with water during summer. Frogs are often found playing there.

: This is one of two “lost pool” which I found when I acquired the home. I love the moss-covered rocks. I often use moss for summer planting arrangements – sphagnum moss, pincushion moss, Mountain Moss Leucobryum, plume moss, bog moss and other woodland elements that vary in thickness and texture. Don’t worry – it is always carefully returned to the outdoors at the end of the season.

: Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs. During a few weeks in autumn, various shades of red, yellow, orange and brown can be seen throughout many landscapes. I love the layers of color created by the changing leaves. The most brightly colored foliage is found in Canada, the northern United States, Scandinavia, northern and western Europe, the Caucasus region near the Black Sea, Russia, eastern Asia, Argentina, Chile, southern Brazil, Korea, Japan and New Zealand’s South Island.

: This is my circular driveway at the front of my home. My outdoor grounds crew is in the process of putting up the mesh fencing around the garden to prevent deer from snacking on the smokebushes. During warm months, this circular drive and all the carriage roads at Skylands are lined with beautiful pink gravel. And just before the autumn leaves fall, it is all picked up and stored until spring.

: This area is all cleared of leaves. The plantings here include hay-scented ferns, which turn yellow in fall, purple smoke bushes, and spruce trees, Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’. When I found these trees, I got many to plant here in Maine.

: This area is by my Flower Room door – also recently cleared of fallen leaves.

: Smokebush, Cotinus coggygria, is a deciduous shrub that’s also commonly known as royal purple smoke bush, smoke tree, and purple smoke tree. They are well-loved for the beautiful purple-pink smokey plumes and the purple leaves found on some cultivars. I have many of these specimens at Bedford and here in Maine.