Just Thinkin'....Autumn...

- Autumn in southeast Tennessee....brilliant clear skies....low humidity....yes, this is typical...but this year it has been wet, though not as wet as September...typically our two 'driest' months by the almanac, but not this year.....the leaves are a bit past peak on the Cumberland Plateau...but not past peak at the lower elevations.

- Autumn has always stimulated my thoughts like no other season....and for me this goes back to the farmlands of youth...in the 60s/early 70s....when despite the chaos across the globe and especially here at home, life always seemed to slow a bit, and even make sense, during autumn. Perhaps it was the thought that the natural forces were at work, stable and predictable, despite extrinsic factors such as those endured during those perilous times. Perhaps it was simply the stark image of autumn's full moons, the colorful foliage, or the cool breezes. Maybe this positive feeling had origins based in hopeful anticipation......of the holidays, of families being together more often or the anticipation of sitting around a fire....For whatever reason, the thoughts then are similar to the thoughts now. For many, autumn is a stimulating and inspiring time of year.

- From bottom to top.....

1) A magnificent Carya....we have at least three species of the hickories in our area...The Bitternut, The Mockernut, and The Pignut (shown). The Shagbark is also found across southeast Tennessee, but rarely at the elevation of the Cumberland Plateau, around 2,000'-2,200' above sea level.

2) Another of nature's autumn gems...this one is a young Mockernut Hickory.

3) The Red Maple (Acer rubrum). Really vivid coloration this year in many specimens....though the fall coloration in this species is often hard to predict....yellow, red, burgundy...but always beautiful.

4) Rhus glabra...almost always turns burgundy in fall....one of several species of Sumac in our area......this one is the Smooth Sumac. We also have the Staghorn and Winged Sumac. Interesingly, this is the same genus as Poison Ivy.

5) Evidence of a few close friends........