Tag Archives: foliage

Red Maple leaves turning orange © Renee Sack

Take 5: The Nature of Fall

September is here and autumn is rolling in! The leaves are just beginning to change—especially the earliest species to lose its summer green hue, the red maple—and we are looking forward to the change of season with a fun lineup of fall-focused online programs.

Learn how to identify hawks in flight just in time for the height of fall hawk migration, dive deeper into the unique nature of fall, take your feeder watching and backyard birding to the next level with the beginner birdwatching series, and more. Our expert instructors and online platform make learning about autumn more accessible than ever!

And don’t forget—the 2021 Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest closes on September 30, just a few short weeks away, so submit your beautiful nature photography today. Here are five photos submitted to the contest in past years, highlighting the awesome nature of autumn.

Red-tailed Hawk in fall © David Morris
Red-tailed Hawk in fall © David Morris
Red Maple leaves turning orange © Renee Sack
Red Maple leaves turning orange © Renee Sack
Canada Geese flying south in a V formation © Steve Nikola
Canada Geese flying south in a V formation © Steve Nikola
Eastern Gray Squirrel (black morph) gathering acorns © Claudia Carpinone
Eastern Gray Squirrel (black morph) gathering acorns © Claudia Carpinone
Sandhill Crane in Hanson, MA © Paul McCarthy
Sandhill Crane in Hanson, MA © Paul McCarthy
Reflections of Fall at Harold Parker Forest in Andover, MA © Paul Mozell

Take 5: Fall Through the Looking Glass

After a cool, wet spring and a hot, dry summer (ideal conditions for spectacular fall foliage), nature is coming alive with reds, oranges, and yellows as plants gradually cease photosynthesis, lose their green-colored chlorophyll, and enter a dormant phase for the winter.

Many folks, it seems, have noticed that this annual spectacle can be doubly beautiful when reflected on the surface of water, so here are five “impressionistic” photo contest entries of fall foliage viewed “through the looking glass.”

Check out our fall foliage guide for great hikes and fall activities, the science behind fall foliage, and even fall photography tips for great shots like these. The 2020 Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest is officially closed, but now is a great time to get your landscape shots in for next year’s contest!

Reflections of Fall at Harold Parker Forest in Andover, MA © Paul Mozell
Reflections of Fall at Harold Parker Forest in Andover, MA © Paul Mozell
Autumn Reflection on South Natick Dam © Ilene Hoffman
Autumn Reflection on South Natick Dam © Ilene Hoffman
Fall Foliage Reflections at Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary © Cheryl Rose
Fall Foliage Reflections at Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary © Cheryl Rose
Impressionistic Autumn Color in Rutland, MA © Kimberly Beckham
Impressionistic Autumn Color in Rutland, MA © Kimberly Beckham
Fall Color at Bottomless Pond in Sudbury, MA © Bryan Gammons
Fall Color at Bottomless Pond in Sudbury, MA © Bryan Gammons