The Splendor of Fall

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE WITHERBEE

Each year, the brilliant fall colors of New England, and our town of Concord, draw people from around the world. Concordians have an advantage in knowing just where to find the most spectacular vistas, such as an open hilltop with the most colorful trees below or most any place along our waterways.

© Dave Witherbee

Some trees, like the maples, provide wonderful red and orange foliage. But there are also the yellows of birches and willows added to the mix of these, and it is the blends of these many colors that create the splendor. The brilliant red of the tupelo tree found on the eastern shore of the Sudbury River along the Wright Woods, really stands out. In the picture to the right, the deep red is that of the tupelo.

© Dave Witherbee

It is not just the foliage that makes fall special. The plant, insect, animal life, and even the fungi are changing to interesting stages. The chicken of the woods mushroom is stunning with its patterned orange form.

© Dave Witherbee

Of course, many things in nature go on as they have during the nice summer months, such as the great blue heron fishing for its lunch.

© Dave Witherbee

Many of the flowers save the best blooming time for fall, and the asters are one of those. The purple-stemmed asters have an appropriate name.

© Dave Witherbee

This evening primrose is sharing nectar with the bee and, in return, getting pollinated. Both are happy.

© Dave Witherbee

© Dave Witherbee

In the end, though, it is the splendor of fall foliage that really catches our eyes.

Dave Witherbee has been traveling the trails and rivers of Concord for 50 years and has been enchanted with the small and large aspects of its nature. Dave’s love of photography has enhanced the attraction.