autumn to winter

Here in our neck of the woods, all of our lovely crimson and gold autumn leaves are now a memory as a recent wind storm plucked every last one from their branches and scattered them across the state. As autumn transitions into winter our days are so short they can hardly be called a day at all. Even at midday, the sun's rays are muted, like a measly 40 watt bulb. Sometimes it's hard to see the beauty in dreary November, so when you do find that rare spot of color and texture it's like a gift. Here are this morning's observations:

The papery brown petals of the hydrangeas

The azaleas with their spring buds already in place

Ornamental grasses really come into their own in fall

Eastern white pine cone rests on a soft bed of last year's needles

The bittersweet vine clambers over wild rose and honeysuckle

These Halloween pumpkins will soon find their way to the compost pile

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