Fall Photos Around Skylands
One of the best times to visit the Northeast is during autumn when one can enjoy the glorious colors of the season.
Cheryl DuLong, who helps me care for Skylands, my home in Maine, is an avid photographer and nature lover. She often keeps me updated by sending photographs of the property and the surrounding areas. Over the weekend, I shared a collection of photos Cheryl took while hiking through Acadia National Park. Here are some wonderful images Cheryl captured while walking around Skylands.
Enjoy.
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- This photo is taken from the terrace looking at the door to my Living Hall with all the beautiful autumn colored kiwi vines. The sundial above the doorway is original to the home. 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.
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- Here is a fall scene of ferns, the trunks of spruce and fir, and lots of moss – located just before turning down to the main entrance of Skylands.
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- The leaves are turning everywhere. These steps lead from my back porch down to my guest house.
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- On top of the Western Terrace, one can see the kiwi vines on the lattice pergola. All the kiwi vines are original to the property.
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- Here are four of the six Boston ferns I hang on the Western Terrace during the warmer months. This photo was taken just before they were returned to the shop where they are stored and cared for during winter, I also hang another four Boston ferns on my back porch. These ferns, Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’, are among the most popular varieties with the frilly leaves and long, hanging fronds.
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- Here is my large “cracked ice” terrace at Skylands. In this photo – more of the original kiwi vines that are still thriving after all these years.
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- This view is through a leaded window to the large “cracked ice” terrace.
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- This sphynx is now indoors “guarding” the living room for the season. She is one of two glazed terra-cotta sphinxes I have designed by Emile Muller.
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- Here is my flower garden as seen from the back end of the shop. In Maine, my vegetable and flower garden are together in one large space completely surrounded by a tall fence.
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- There are still so many dahlias bursting with color at Skylands. Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family along with daisies and sunflowers. They are generally most hardy in USDA zones 7 through 11.
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- In the cold climates of North America, dahlias are known as tuberous-rooted tender perennials, grown from small, brown, biennial tubers planted in the spring.
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- The majority of dahlia species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars, but they are brightly colored to attract pollinating insects. Dahlias come in a rainbow of colors and even range in size, from the giant 10-inch “dinnerplate” blooms to the two-inch lollipop-style pompons. Most varieties grow four to five feet tall.
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- Dahlias are colorful, spiky flowers which generally bloom from midsummer to first frost, when many other plants are past their best.
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- This view is from the flower cutting garden – Cheryl wanted to photograph the picturesque sky and the autumn trees in the distance.
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- This is down by the shop where we cook lobsters during summer. This maple tree looks so beautiful above the cooker. During 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.
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- This view is from the back porch of Skylands. From here, one can see some of “Rockefeller’s teeth.” In the foreground is a small frog pool, where my grandchildren love to play.
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- And here is the Counsel Circle and fire pit – a wonderful place to gather for evening chats and maybe even ghost stores.
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- This photo shows the charming Ox Ledge gazebo next to the overlook garden.
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- This gazebo looks out onto the Cranberries and the ocean beyond.
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- The gazebo opens to this beautiful large flat garden surrounded by majestic trees.
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- And this is a beautiful autumn view of Seal Harbor as seen from the terrace at Skylands. Most of the boats have disappeared from their harbor moorings. Sutton Island is in the distance – a small, private island south of where I am on Mount Desert. One never tires of seeing this view.
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