Autumn Colors in Maine
If you ever travel to the Northeast to see the beautiful colors of fall, I hope you include a stop in Maine - it’s simply stunning up there this time of year.
As you know, I love Maine. It is, indeed, a magical place and I always wish I could spend more time there. Occasionally, Cheryl DuLong, who works at Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, keeps me updated by sending photographs of the property and the surrounding areas. Yesterday, she sent me some glorious photos taken during one of her many hikes through Acadia National Park.
Here are a few images showing this year's fall foliage - enjoy.
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- 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.
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- King’s Creek is one of Maine’s most scenic spots located just over the Thompson Island Bridge toward Bar Harbor. It’s a beautiful place any time of year, but the fall colors are especially stunning.
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- 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.
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- 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 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.
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- Here is a view of Bubble Pond – a gorgeous little pond with a maximum water depth of nearly 40-feet. The water is so clear.
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- Here is another view with the mist rolling in over the water. Mist often forms when warmer air over water suddenly encounters the cooler surface of land.
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- On the north side of the pond is Bubble Brook, which cascades down in a northwesterly direction toward Eagle Lake.
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- And this is Bubble Pond Bridge. Bubble Pond Bridge was constructed in 1928 and is the only solid masonry bridge in Acadia National park. This medium-sized bridge is located on the north side of Bubble Pond. The stone and mortar substructures are surfaced in rough-dressed random laid rubble stone.
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- Not far is Eagle Lake – at 436-acres, it is the largest fresh water lake in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. It has a maximum depth of 110-feet and an average depth of 50-feet.
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- This view looks at Sargent Mountain, the second highest peak in Acadia. It is a popular spot for snowy owls – there have been many sightings of them here.
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- Cheryl saw many wild blueberry and huckleberry bushes. Wild Huckleberry, also known as Mountain Huckleberry or Thinleaf Huckleberry, has been cultivated, consumed, and enjoyed for thousands of years. Native to woodland areas, Wild Huckleberry bushes are deciduous, and leaves turn a red purple color in the fall. While they are not as popular as the true blueberries, they are very important to wildlife – many songbirds as well as ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, and turkey consume the fruits.
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- Here is a view looking out onto Seal Harbor. From this vantage point, one can see Thrumcap Island, Sutton Island and the Cranberry Isles in the distance.
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- Dorr mountain is just beyond these trees – a narrow north-south formation with steep cliffs sandwiched between Champlain Mountain to the east and Cadillac Mountain to the west.
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- This road winds through Jessup Path and Hemlock Trail – two popular and moderately easy trails filled with wild flowers and trees.
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- This path becomes a beautiful boardwalk through a boggy, white birch forest.
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- Jessup Path eventually connects with the Great Meadow and then continues on to Sieur de Monts Spring in Acadia National Park. This is a traditional trail that began more than 100-years ago.
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- And here is more fall foliage seen through the woodland – the golden fall colors are so beautiful.
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- 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. In the distance – the well-known Bubbles.
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- This is the mossy woodland back at my home, Skylands. 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.
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- This garden is called the Ox Ledge Overlook. I love the bold contrast between the orange and green.
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- Here is a view of Seal Harbor from my Ox Ledge gazebo window next to the Overlook garden.
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- Here’s another magnificent view out to Seal Harbor and Thrumcap. This day was perfect for photos with just enough sunshine and little to no wind. Thanks for these lovely fall images, Cheryl.
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