An autumn walk with...
An Australian colleague of mine has recently moved back down under, and before he departed I asked him what he would most miss about living in the UK.
Without hesitation he said it would definitely be our changing seasons, and that we were incredibly lucky to have four of them (he has either hot/dry or hot/wet). Now we all like to moan about the weather from time to time, but upon reflection I have to say that I agree. With this in mind and as life is after all, too short, I put on my boots, a raincoat, grabbed the camera and set off into the Old Arboretum on a rather dull day.
I am pleased to say I was joined along the way by many like-minded visitors: from a newly married couple with their wedding photographer; smiling people of all ages; to a helpful chap with a camera telling me "don't bother taking a photograph of that little maple as you will not believe the colourful display in Acer Glade". He was right, Acer Glade is looking wonderful even with a grey sky overhead and perhaps the colours appeared even more vivid under these conditions.
So, as there are very few reasons not to take the plunge, I strongly recommend that you get out there and enjoy the exhilaration of the seasonal delights of Autumn, before it's too late. You will enjoy it as much as I did and I'm sure your pictures will almost certainly be better than mine too!
Left picture: A riot of colour as you enter Acer Glade. Right picture: The evergreen background has been designed to help show-off more ornate trees.
Left picture: Vibrant red of a Japanese Maple. In the right photo, the Acer palmatum contrasts red and green to great affect.
Left photo: Acer palmatum 'Dissectum' in full cut-leaved glory. Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Tree) in the right photo is a particularly bright at the moment.
Left photo: This Stewartia not only has great winter bark, but fantastic leaf colour as well. In the right photo the Juglans nigra (Black Walnut) leaves appear to form an interesting geometric pattern.
Left photo: this young Zelkova serrata (Keaki) will certainly be a star of the future. Right photo: One by one, different plants take their turn to shine, even this Fothergilla major (Witch Alder).