When late summer turns to autumn, initially, I’m sad to see that the grasses have faded from green to drab shades of beige and brown, and I miss the vivid colors of summer. That is, until the sun hits those grasses in just the right way and I’m treated to a variety of warm and luscious colors that always inspire me. It reminds me how much beauty remains in nature as her flora change from their growth stage to a withering, dried state that has it’s own rich charm.
Leaves dry out and change colors due to the diminishing chlorophyll available to them. In the warmer months most leaves are in tones of green, whereas in the autumn they show off a glorious array of more muted tones that I tend to gravitate towards.
In Bailey Colorado these days, the withering to some degree is from the dryness, but also due to temperatures dipping down below freezing at night, and our abbreviated daylight hours. All of a sudden, it seems that at 6 am, we are waking up a good hour before the sun rises and it’s quite dark by 7 pm. Now our hours of daylight are less than 12 hours. For me, that means more darkness for appreciating the moon and the stars.
With the colder and dryer days and evenings, many plants squinch up their leaves as self defense. In the case of wild flowers, they go from having soft, ethereal petals to becoming more like sculptural elements in nature. Their shapes and textures portray their beauty in a more subtle, yet solid way. Often times I see these preserved flower shapes well into winter and the next spring.
The earlier, low angle of the sun in the evenings make for a very vibrant, golden hour that I’ve been enjoying very much. It’s so great to see a whole new range of colors as mother nature’s plants go from their growth stage to sleep and storing ones energy in the deep, rich earth. As is the way of mother nature, I’m called to be more meditative and to gain more strength and wisdom from a deeper part of myself.
