Forest of Golden Leaves and Green Moss

I recently took a walk in one of our local, forested areas and found myself immersed in trails paved with golden leaves and carpets of bright, green mosses hanging from woody shrubs and tree branches. One of the most populated varieties of deciduous trees in our Pacific Northwest forests is the Bigleaf Maple. Their leaves can be humongous! They turn a lovely, golden yellow color during the autumn season. As well, with all the rain the region receives during the months of October and November, the mosses on trees, logs, and branches are a bright green. What beautifully colored photos one can capture with their verdant color! I love walking through these silent forests on a calm and still, autumn day. The only sound heard is an occasional Bigleaf maple leaf falling to its final resting place. Please enjoy these photos I snapped of my experience with nature this day.

All images property of Peggy A Thompson

Autumn Leaves on Parade

Our autumn leaf colors this season are something else! I’m not the only one noticing this. Locals posting their images of colorful leaves from around the region are saying the same thing. I really do not know why the colors have been so spectacular this year. We had a very dry summer followed by very mild temps the past few months, with very few hard frosts. I have been enjoying getting out to leaf peep every weekend, as weather allows.I hope you enjoy the leaves and their colors!

Ginkgo tree

Ginkgo leaves

Red Maple Leaves

Red Maple Leaves

Pond and Maple Leaves

Point Defiance Park Japanese Garden

Cutleaf Japanese Maple

Japanese Maple Tree

Japanese Maple Tree and Rhododendrons in Bloom

Yellow Ginkgo Leaf and Red Maple Leaves

Red Maple Leaves

Japanese Maple Tree

Japanese Maple Leaves

All images property of Peggy A Thompson

Leaf Peeping and Scary Trees

Happy Halloween! Enjoy a sampling of images from some leaf peeping I was able to do yesterday. I always look forward to the fiery, autumn colors of Japanese maples in the local gardens. They make for some of the most creepy and gnarly displays during the autumn season. I hope you don’t get too creeped out! Boo!!!

All images property of Peggy A Thompson

Colors and Textures of the Season

The autumn season is upon us, and with it comes changes in the colors and textures of plants, subtly at first, and then a burst of spectacular color toward the end in many species. Some plants wither away, leaving behind colorful and fascinating seed heads and seed pods.I hope you enjoy some of my photos that present some of these seasonal characteristics

Black Tupelo

Japanese Grass Seeds

Chinese Magnolia Leaves

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Seed Head

Asian Mayapple

Enkianthus

Maple leaves

Darmera peltata

Deer Fern and Moss

Heuchera

Fatsia japonica

Stinking Iris seed pods

Indumentum on underside of rhododendron leaf

Maple leaf on ferns

Fountain Grass

Golden Larch

Persian Ironwood

Magnolia Seed Head

All photos property of Peggy A Thompson

Of Mountains and Forests

The autumn season is one of the most colorful times of the year to visit Mount Rainier National Park, located in the Pacific Northwest state of Washington. The vegetation that thrives at the subalpine level of the park puts on a fantastic display of colors! This includes the Huckleberry plant, whose leaves turn shades of purple and magenta, and the Vine Maples that cling to the rocky cliffs, putting on fiery displays of reds, golds, and oranges. The day I recently visited was partly cloudy, and so the clouds played hide-and-seek with the mountain landscapes. In the lower altitudes of the park, I hiked some of the dense forest trails. Included are a few photos from the different altitudes of the park. Enjoy!

The historic National Park Inn

Colorful Vine Maples clinging to rocky cliffsides

Mount Rainier rising above the clouds

Christine Falls

All images property of Peggy A Thompson