Autumn Series 01

 

 Autumn is lingering this year; it is nearly December and there are still leaves on the trees, developing richer colours. The warm Summer and mild Autumn this year were reason enough to expect a spectacular display of Autumn colours (read more about why leaves change colour in an interesting Guardian article here), and it seems the trees have not disappointed. Trees such as horse chestnut, sweet chestnut and field maple led the way with some early yellows and oranges, whilst even the late developers are now getting into the swing of things. Between them the trees are displaying a dazzling variety of colours including golden, russet, amber and fawn.

The two photos featured here were taken in the beautiful Danbury Woods in Essex. The sweet chestnut tree in the photo above originally began with a juxtaposition of green, caramel and coffee coloured leaves, but later in the season the leaves are almost all a soft caramel yellow - the browner leaves falling away, whilst the green leaves have finally succumbed to Autumn. The vibrant chestnut tree is framed in the photo by the dead wood of an enormous fallen tree. This dead wood has incredible texture and subtle colouring, providing a pleasing contrast to the chestnut tree in the background.

The photo below shows the amber-orange foliage of a field maple, with sugars in the leaves beginning to develop red pigments. If we continue with Autumn sunshine and temperatures above freezing we should eventually reach the deep red colours that we rarely see in in years with wet and cloudy Autumns or after frosts.

Keep your eyes open for more pictures to follow in the Autumn series!