Tag Archives: landscapes

A delicate ice formation © Josh Philibert

Take 5: Ice Art

It seems awfully dark around here these days, doesn’t it? The winter solstice—the day when the northern hemisphere experiences the shortest amount of daylight and the longest night—is just a week away. Next Monday also marks the official beginning of winter and although the colder weather tends to keep us indoors a lot more, there is still so much beauty and enjoyment to be found in nature in wintertime.

Many of the entrants to our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest have found inspiration in one of the most enchanting (but also, often, the most treacherous) hallmarks of winter in New England: ice formations. Here are five of our favorites.

A delicate ice formation © Josh Philibert
A delicate ice formation © Josh Philibert
Ice formations over a stream on Wolves' Den Trail at High Ledges in Shelburne
Ice formations over a stream on Wolves’ Den Trail at High Ledges in Shelburne
Winterberries after an ice storm © Cindy Riley
Winterberries after an ice storm © Cindy Riley
Ice crystals on Lower Mystic Lake in Medford, MA © Brad Edgerly
Ice crystals on Lower Mystic Lake in Medford, MA © Brad Edgerly
Ice formation on West Dennis Beach © Craig Daniliuk
Ice formation on West Dennis Beach © Craig Daniliuk
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