There's no three-four week stretch I look forward to more than autumn coming to the eastern deciduous forest. Summer's monopoly of green gives way to a cascade of scarlet, orange and gold across the landscape. The most perfectly crisp shade of sapphire blue fills the cloudless skies above the last gasp of late-season wildflowers. Mornings start dewy and chilled with your breath faintly hanging in the air. Simply put: I absolutely love this time of the year. It's as beautiful as it is fleeting.
To celebrate the season's return to Ohio, I've decided to share a number of my personal favorite photographs that I think do well to capture the atmosphere and texture of autumn in our incredible state. Nature's beauty can speak for itself and there's little hope I could do much to give it the credit it deserves, so I will let the rest of this post go more or less wordless and hope you enjoy the sampling of scenes. I hope it inspires you to lace up your hiking boots and get out and soak in the colors and beauty for yourselves this autumn season!
*Don't forget you can click each photo to see it larger and in higher resolution.*
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| Waterloo Wildlife Area, Athens County. October 2013. |
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| Foggy sunrise behind a mighty white oak. Adams County. October 2009. |
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| Ripened pawpaws (Asimina triloba). Hamilton County. September 2012. |
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| Narrator and the rolling forests of the Hocking Hills landscape (Conkles Hollow). Hocking County. October 2012 |
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| Fire orange sugar maple (Acer saccharum). Hocking County. October 2009. |
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| American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens). Union County. September 2013. |
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| Reflections on Dow Lake, Strouds Run State Park, Athens County. October 2009. |
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| Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Jackson County. September 2014. |
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| Celebrated Ohio nature photographer, Ian Adams in Irwin Prairie SNP. Lucas County. September 2013. |
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| Common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) fruits. Athens County. September 2014. |
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| Reflections on Lake Ramona, Clear Creek Metro Park, Fairfield County. October 2014. |
Thanks for taking a look and feel free to comment on your favorite photo(s)! Always fun to see what others find most appealing compared to my tastes.
