Autumn colors are different each year.
Some years the leaves are fantastic, where you’re so overwhelmed by the colors, it’s like your brain can’t believe what it’s seeing.
Other years, the leaves are drab and washed out. It depend on the weather, and how hot and dry the summer was.
This year was pretty good, but not exceptionally good. I never had any overwhelming “Ah-ha!” moments. There were some pockets of bright colors, but I couldn’t seem to find the vibrant reds I so much like.
Here’s a photo near Kingston, from about a month ago, when the colors were just starting. Things were staring to look promising.
There was some promise of red a few weeks ago, when I did a road trip to the Algoma district near Sault. Ste. Marie.
But that same day, just 100 km north in Lake Superior Provincial Park, the reds had already peaked, and were fading!
The Park Ranger told me there had been a windstorm a few days earlier, and had blown the leaves off.
This is how fragile the peak autumn colors are: all it takes is one day of bad weather, and they’re ruined.
Of course, I took some time to visit an old friend: Lake Superior. I had the entire beach to myself at Agawa Bay.
Further north, at Wawa, the trees were definitely past their peak.
There weren’t any reds near Wawa anyway, as this vegetation zone was now the boreal forest…too far north for red maples.
Fall colors aren’t that great in the boreal forest…it’s mostly black spruce and birch trees.
Driving south of Chapleau o0n Highway 129, the leaves picked up again. Nice colors, but mostly yellow-green.
About a week later, back in Eastern Ontario, I found some nice colors. But again, mostly orange and yellow, but not much red.
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Thanksgiving weekend was the last good weekend for color.
I did find some brilliant pockets of yellow.
My favorite was the view from atop the abandoned ski hill near Dacre.
Now most of the leaves are gone.
Like I said…it was still a pretty good year.
But no red.
Oh well.
Wait till next year.
xxxxx
The Deep Friar 