Early Autumn Colors at My Farm
If you live in an area where foliage changes with the seasons, you know how exciting and beautiful this time of year can be.
I love autumn and although the season hasn't quite hit its peak here in Bedford, New York, the changing leaves are providing lots of fall color. I've planted hundreds of trees at my farm, so it's a fantastic place to take in the season's changes and enjoy all it has to offer.
Enjoy these photos.
-
- Here at my farm, one of the prettiest times of year to walk the four miles of carriage road around my home and through the woodland is now, when the foliage on so many trees and shrubs show off their fall colors. This is one of the most popular views – the road leading to my hayfields and the woodlands beyond.
-
- In the Northeast, some trees change early, others late – usually from October to November.
-
- Here’s a look up at a canopy of golden sugar maple leaves. Because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature, leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to gold and orange colors come out and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.
-
- The trees around my hayfields display such wonderful shades of orange, yellow, amber, brown, and green. I love the layers of color created by the changing leaves. Although some autumn coloration occurs wherever deciduous trees are found, the most brightly colored foliage is seen 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.
-
- Autumn leaves have already filled this stream bed in the woods.
-
- Here, the evergreen on the left will keep its green colors through the year, but soon the trees on the right will be bare.
-
- These are Japanese Stewartia trees. Native to Japan, this tree is known not only for its brilliant shades of orange that emerge in fall, but also for its interesting exfoliating bark and delicate blooms. I love Stewartia trees – do you know why? Here’s a hint: it’s in the name.
-
- These are the changing leaves of my Nyssa tree near my Winter House terrace. This beautiful Nyssa sylvatica, or black tupelo dark green leaves in summer, but in the fall its foliage turns yellow, orange, bright red, purple or scarlet – all colors that may appear on the same branch. It’s just starting to transform.
-
- Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, and also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta. It is found in fossils dating back 270-million years. Native to China, the ginkgo tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history.
-
- Here’s a close look at the leaves showing the changing colors from bright green to yellow.
-
- At my farm I planted many different types of trees in hopes that they would shade, provide climate control, and change color at different times, in different ways. It’s so beautiful to see them change through the seasons.
-
- The older, innermost needles of Eastern white pines often turn yellow all at once. The needles are usually a paler and more yellowish color than other pines, but still quite attractive this time of year.
-
- These lindens are also just starting to turn. I love this linden tree allée so much, I decided to extend it all the way down to the chicken coops in 2017.
-
- These are my blueberries. In summer they are filled with sweet, delicious fruits. And then in autumn, the leaves turn a variety of colors, including red, orange, yellow, and purple. The leaves often start out as a blend of colors and end up a deep red.
-
- Viburnum leaves change colors in the fall, and may turn red, burgundy, and yellow, depending on the species.
-
- Here’s a view of the autumn woodland landscape. I tour the entire property every day I am home.
-
- While it varies from tree to tree, once leaves start changing color and falling, it typically takes a few weeks for most of them to drop off completely. As temperatures drop, trees produce a separation layer at the stem of the leaf, causing it to detach.
-
- My outdoor grounds crew is already very busy blowing all the leaves.
-
- This sugar maple is planted in my tree peony bed. Maples and sugar maples are usually the first trees to change color in the fall, typically turning orange, yellow, and red.
-
- At the edge of the back field is the giant sycamore tree – the symbol of my farm. The foliage of American sycamore trees is a crown of large leaves. In autumn, they turn shades of yellow and brown. I hope you can enjoy some of the season’s colors where you are.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
