Autumn Underway ~ A Woodland/Meadow Walk

I met up with other photographers for an outing recently.  We dispursed and went our seperate ways, and will reconvene at a later date to share the images we've captured.  Here are a few of my favorites from that day.



The place we gathered was nearby a small, private airstrip so several planes flew overhead, mostly as silhouttes against the bright blue autumn sky.  Being aware of everything that was part of the scene, I snapped a few of them.

Perhaps considered poor photography by some standards, this dramatic contrast caught my eye.

Me, being me, I went off the beaten path and went deeper into the woods.

The moss was incredible!  A lush and green carpet covered most of the rocks.  The sunlight streaming through the trees created playful shadows.

                                               Where there's moss....  there are mushrooms....

Sometimes your mind starts playing tricks on you!  Like seeing this 'horse' or a spooky Halloween face!

                   Sometimes when you just don't know which way to go, Nature will point the way!

Then the beauty of Nature, like these leaves with faded chlorophyll being replaced by their more vivid counterparts, brings you back to reality.

After noticing this somewhat fresh pile of bear dung (which answers the age-old question, Kenny, "Yes, a bear does  shit in the woods!")  I realized I may not be alone, so every rustle that was heard made me turn in every direction. 


One particularly loud rustle caused a simultaneous startling between me and this squirrel.  We both turned around, at precisely the same moment, to get a closer look at exactly what frightened us!

Back on the beaten path, it took me out of the woods and into a meadow where I saw some beautiful meadow wildlife like these flowers and birds like this goldfinch. 

As I walked, I was surrounded by tiny popping sounds and little creatures literally popping up here and there all around me!!  Hundreds of grasshoppers snapped, crackled, and popped--surprising me because I assumed they were just summer insects, but here they were enjoying the meadow as much as me!!  Here are some images I've just described.  And no, I didn't stand on my head to photograph the grasshopper.  He very happily hung upside down on each branch he landed on!  You, on the other hand, may feel free to stand on your head to view it right-side up!

As I was leaving the meadow, this flock of geese flew in their southern direction.