Searching for Fall Color

Early Autumn in the Japanese Garden

It's officially Fall. My calendar announced the autumnal equinox almost three weeks ago. So where are the vivid, neon-bright leaves that make this season visually unique? Well, it appears the local trees didn't get the memo. Was it the long summer of hot weather? Can we blame the lack of rain in September? Our recent leaf-peeping walk took us through mostly green foliage, unlike previous outings at nearly the same date. No problem, we're not easily discouraged and will continue to enjoy our walks with or without Fall color. Maybe this week we'll be lucky, or over the weekend, or next week... Drastic action would be to drive to a higher elevation and search for swaths of red-orange vine maples or golden larches.

Our walk took us inside Seattle's Japanese Garden, a fenced 3.5 acre hidden gem tucked inside the much larger 230 acre Washington Park Arboretum and Botanic Garden. A visit here never disappoints, no matter what the season. 

"Following a winding path around a central pond, stroll gardens invite visitors to journey through the varied landscapes of Japan - mountains, forests, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, islands and the sea. Along the journey, varied landscapes are hidden and then revealed."

Special viewing treats on this visit were...

...sunbathing turtles, perched on pond rocks to soak up warmth from the noontime sun,

...one lone heron, who occasionally speared a small fish in between long minutes of patient immobility,

...masses of colorful koi who swarmed to the bridge whenever a visitor paused, ever hopeful that fishfood would sprinkle the water, 

...and the abundant canopy of green leaves which hold out promise of Fall color yet to develop.

The annual Maple Viewing Festival runs October 5 through October 15 in 2017. But don't wait for a special event to plan your visit, enjoy this treasure throughout the year. We intend to.

Fall Color at Coulon Park

The lure of a warm, blue-sky Fall day was irresistible, so we headed out for a sunny walk through Gene Coulon Park. This impromptu visit to a favorite waterfront park might have been our last opportunity to enjoy 2013's changing colors since, WHAM! Mother Nature is switching gears tonight. At least we had a glimpse of that Autumn display, before the last of those colorful leaves blow away in the upcoming storm. There's no way most of those fluttering leafy bits will hang on after the next few days of wet, windy, cold weather. I know, I know... it happens every November, but I hate to trade this vivid leafy beauty for the drama of storms and stark tree silhouettes. At least until a wonderful Winter walk reminds me how much I love the quiet beauty of that season.

Photo: Green leaves turn to gold...

Photo: Yellow leaves shine like spotlights in the landscape...

Photo: Neon colors are show-stoppers in the landscape...

Photo: Coulon Parks's buildings are wonderfully eye-catching

Photo: The park's sailing fleet is put away for the winter.

Photo: Bare tree limbs reveal an interesting nest - I wonder whose home?

Photo: Year-round resident Canadian geese look well-fed and content 

Photo: Local gulls are quite fearless and cheeky as they beg for food

Photo: Ivar's fish and chips plus seafood chowder is a traditional stop at the end of a park visit... unless we are tempted by neighboring Kidd Valley's burgers instead.

Coulon Park in January, 2011

Coulon Park in November, 2008

Seattle Japanese Garden in Fall

Photo: Cloud Reflections in the Koi Pond at the Japanese Garden (photo by RL))

Exuberant Fall color grabbed my attention, drew my eye and the lens of the camera immediately at the entrance to the Japanese Garden located in the Washington Park Arboretum. The sky may have been overcast today but the landscaped 3.5 acres were a riot of color as vivid golden-orange leaves of lace-leaf maples contrasted with the bright yellow display of ginkos and the deeper crimson hues of several other species. 

The garden's technicolor display may have peaked a week ago or more. Several early-turning trees were already bare while others held leaves with fading hues, no longer brilliant, their edges going brown and crisp. Without a distracting cloak of neon-colored leaves, branch structure is highlighted, then smaller details clamor for attention.

I love walking through this tidy little garden in any season, any weather. Form, pattern and texture have a constant presence to share with anyone who takes the time to pause and observe. But today, it was all about dramatic punches of color highlighted against a background of evergreen trees and mosses, color so vivid it was as though a spotlight shined here and there and there...

Seattle holds many wonderful parks (link), but the Japanese Garden and Kubota Garden are high on my list of favorites. Set aside some time to explore a few, and remember to take your camera.

An Autumn Walk in Kubota Garden

The view through the entrance gates barely hints at the varied and beautiful landscape inside this park, a neighborhood treasure tucked away in South Seattle. An historic landmark, this mature twenty-acre garden blends Japanese garden concepts with native Northwest plants. Join Hilary and me on our stroll through the garden, decorated in its full Fall foliage.

Fall Foliage

It's that time of year when the camera travels with me in the car, all of the time, even when I don't plan to use it. You never know when something will catch the eye, a visual or action that is unexpected, somehow wonderful. Autumn's colorful leaves aren't exactly unexpected, but the slanting rays of sunlight can turn each tree into a neon display of reds, oranges and pinks. 


It's a good thing that I am compulsively early for appointments, tending to arrive with tons of time to spare. This day, enroute to a lunch date in Madison Park with friend Mimmi S., I repeatedly pulled into parking lots along the lake shore to admire the fall color and take a few photos. The waterfront drive from Seward Park, my neighborhood, to Madison Park is one long series of parks and greenspaces. That scenic stretch is a visual delight any time of the year, but it seemed doubly so after my recent weeks in Southern California. Here's a sampling of the foliage shots from my stops. (... and yes, I was on time for my lunch date.)
  

This beauty is a showstopper.

Rollerblade enthusiasts chose a scenic route.

Even the stems lose chlorophyl and turn red.

Hot pink leaves decorated Madison Park street trees.

Nature provided this color, not Photoshop.

It's November, but this little strawberry plant is still productive and optimistic.

Pyracantha berries are ready to decorate Thanksgiving displays.