trees

Beginning of Spring in Shenandoah National Park /  by Todd Henson

Mountains as seen from Skyline Drive

I realized this year how great a location the mountains can be for observing the signs of seasonal transitions. My folks and I were on a day trip and decided to drive over part of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. This is the north-south road through the park and provides lots of views of the mountains and down into the valleys. We picked a fortunate time to visit in early spring when most of the trees at higher elevations were bare but at lower elevations you could see lines of color of new leaf growth. I would love to see a time lapse movie of this process as the new green growth moves its way up the sides of the mountains.

New leaf growth moving up the mountains

An alternate, vertical, view of the first image showing the new green growth moving up the slopes

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief observation of the transition from winter to spring.

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Lines of Light and Shadow in a Late Fall Forest /  by Todd Henson

Lines of light and shadow on the forest floor

The last weekend of November my father and I picked a trail we’d not hiked before, which can be a slightly risky thing as we don’t know exactly what to expect, and some of the trails through the park have a fair bit of elevation change to them, at least for us. But it’s also a bit exciting because we’ve no idea what we might discover and whether this might become a favorite trail we long to return to.

A brisk morning in the woods

What leaves are left

Being late November most of the leaves had fallen. It was a clear day which let the sunlight stream through the trees creating all kinds of interesting lines of light and shadow. The trail we chose happened to go directly into the sun, which is a bit of a mixed bag. It makes it a challenge to see clearly sometimes but it also let us see some great dynamic lighting effects.

Hiking into the sun

I’m sharing a small sampling of the photos I created that morning. I think I barely scratched the surface of the theme of lines of light and shadow in the forest. Any trail we took might present completely different scenery showcasing even more fascinating lines. I hope I can continue exploring this theme on future hikes. And I hope you enjoy the photos.

Looking back

And as a bonus, below is a photograph of the late November leaf litter. It’s mostly oak leaves of two different species, but there are also beech leaves, a lone red maple leaf, and I think I see a poplar in there, as well. These are some of the more common trees in this forest.

Late November leaf litter

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Autumn’s Last Gasp /  by Todd Henson

The last fall color of Blandy

Today we take a look at what may be autumn’s last gasp at Blandy Experimental Farm, the State Arboretum of Virginia. We’d finished hiking and decided to drive around other parts of the arboretum when we saw some bright colorful foliage right along a parking area. So we got out and walked about, marveling at the bright shades of yellow, orange, and red mixed in with vibrant greens. Such a beautiful final display, located right along what the signs indicated was an oak grove and very near the bamboo grove, with a trail weaving from the bamboo grove out behind the other trees, color all along the way.

Follow the yellow leaved road

Walk with me

Paths of color

The final leaves have yet to fall

The warmth of autumn

Autumn is a beautiful time of year and I’d love to return to Blandy in the future to see what else it has to offer.

These photos were created on November 20th, 2021.

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