“L’origine Nascosta” by Ludovico Einaudi (courtesy of Andriy Dmytruk):
“Delicious autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird
I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
George Eliot
“Autumn Equinox” by Cynthia Jordan (courtesy of meloman80s):
“And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives
to be are full of trees and changing leaves.”
Virginia Woolf
“Autumn Leaves” by Eva Cassidy and the London Symphony Orchestra:
After summer, there is hope for a warm and mild autumn. Roses are still flowering but hydrangeas are changing colour into muted shades of green and dark red. As expected, autumn arrives with subtle changes in the light, with overcast skies, longer darker evenings, and nights of easy slumber while chilly rain thrashes monotonously against the windows.
An interesting aside on equinoxes, as we are approaching the autumnal one (courtesy of National Geographic):
Rain coming down with a vengeance adds a rejuvenating sparkle to fruits, leaves and grasses alike, and is most welcome. At dawn, just after the rain, the freshly ploughed earth of the furrowed fields, still warm from the stored heat of the summer, exudes mystic clouds of chalk-blue steam. Noisy groups of swallows swoop gracefully above the dusk-etched rooftops of the barns, preparing for their winter migration.
Swallows leaving the UK for Africa (courtesy of India):
Swallows in super slow motion (courtesy of Fumihiko Hirai):
October approaches slowly, changing with each step the faded colouring of the woodlands into shades ranging from sun-bleached fawns, golden-yellows, beiges and flaxen straw-hues to vivid reds, russets, plum-purples and rich, velvety browns.
“Whispers of Autumn” by Leann Marshall:
“Sneeuwland” by Oskar Schuster (courtesy of Aesthetic sky):
The fields are tidy and barren, their harvest already a thing of the past. The season will come full with the first frost and autumn’s brilliant colouring of treetops and hedgerows. It is a time for gathering and storing of fruits, a time of making beverages. It is a time of making chutneys, pickles, plum dumplings and apple pies.
Perhaps have a go at creating the tempting treat of Apple and Blackberry Cobbler from the autumn bounty (courtesy of The Happy Foodie):
At sunset, a skein of geese fly low above the town and soon they will be no more since it is time for migration. Autumn was called in the 16th century ‘the fall of the leaf’, and rightly so; it is hard to imagine this time of the year without the rustle of a bright, ankle-deep carpet covering the ground. Children love wading through piles of fallen leaves, looking for chestnuts or acorns.
The beauty of Autumn (courtesy of Stuart Spicer):
Some stunning fall foliage in Vermont (courtesy of flannelboyvideos):
There is an abundance of blackberries in the hedgerows and wild mushrooms in the woodlands. Often hidden under trees and among wet grasses after rain, are shiny ceps, sticky fawn-coloured fungi, and which are known to experienced gatherers as ‘butter cups’. My favourites, chanterelles as they are called in France, are rusty-yellow, oddly funnel-shaped agaric. Ceps are often strung onto cotton thread, and when dry, kept in the larder to flavour and season stews. Fresh ceps and other mushrooms are delicious tossed in hot butter which brings out their wonderful flavour.
The orchard fruit harvest of apples, plums and pears is a time of storing fruit and making jams and making cider. When I was young, I loved to get up at the crack of dawn and go into the mountain forest to pick blueberries. These grew in sunny clearings on short dense bushes, hidden amongst a multitude of tiny, dark-green leaves. It would take a long time not only because the bushes were laden with blueberries but also because purple-stained hands would often stray to fruit-inked mouths. At home, blueberries were served with yoghurt or with creamy milk.
“Sarabande” by Ludovico Einaudi:
This is also the time of potato digging, a time of bonfires with their languid, wet smoke lumbering low over the fields and hedgerows, scenting the air with the incomparable aroma of field-baked potatoes. As it is such back-breaking work, a midday rest is needed to straighten up and warm up cold hands.
We diggers would sit around a fire on an upturned sturdy potato basket or a pile of sacks, rubbing our cold hands in anticipation. Oh, the sheer bliss of inhaling the hot, smoky scent of the tubers. The joy of tossing the skin-burning potato from one hand to another before squeezing it open, and then seasoned with salt and butter it would disappear, almost unaided, into a rumbling stomach. But I digress…
Ash Roasted Potatoes (courtesy of Happy Foods Tube):
By the end of November, there will be no leaves on trees because they have to protect themselves before winter sets in. The trees shut down the activity in their leaves, drawing in the sugar and protein stored there, and not producing chlorophyll in the winter months. The colour that remains in the leaves for a short time is due to carotenoid pigments that were there all along but were concealed during the warmer months by the vivid green of the chlorophyll cells. Leaf fall begins when hormones stimulate a layer of cells at the base of each leaf stalk to die and form a seal between a leaf and its branch. As these cells die, they form a corky layer of dead tissue. When the seal is complete, it takes only a light breeze to separate the leaf from the tree and send it spiralling to the ground.
Autumn mists (courtesy of Asheville):
“Lessons of the Geese” (courtesy of mtceurope) – we humans could learn a lot from their teamwork:
At this time, some birds will leave to migrate to warmer countries in search of food and sun. The migration of birds each autumn has long been among the mysteries of nature that are still difficult to fully understand and explain. There are many theories, and one suggested that it might have been a throwback to the ice age, when a severe climate over much of the world must have affected the birds’ life. Regardless of the reasons, it is obvious that migrations, although they may cost some of the species half their population in casualties each year, have logical advantages. The northern part of the globe is more spacious. There are therefore many more opportunities to nest and feed their young.
The longest known migration of any bird belongs to the Arctic tern, a relatively small (14 inches) colonial bird that breeds within a few hundred miles of the North Pole. It is also known as the ‘Sea Swallow’ as it has a similar colouring; a white body, black cap and red legs and beak. For reasons biologists have yet to fully understand, Arctic terns set out on a journey each spring and autumn that takes them literally to the ends of earth, from the Arctic to Antarctica. As they take the longest route, they may travel as much as 3 million miles in their lifetime, which could be 15 to 30 years. Now, that is some endurance and achievement…
The Arctic Tern: a small bird that migrates big (courtesy of James Wolfe):
“Autumn Music 2” by Max Richter (courtesy of ChamberMinuet):
What else can I say but Autumn is a bountiful, colourful and interesting season, to which I am very much looking forward.
An evocative autumn walk in Kipling’s Vermont (courtesy of Bryton Taylor):
“Autumn” from “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi (courtesy of caballerohorus):
“Ballad of Autumn” by Eldar Mansurov (courtesy of Tatiana Blue):
PS My potato digging experience was a result of a school trip to help the local farm and to learn how hard a farmer’s work is, and it left me with life-long memories.
naturetails 
Oh Joanna. This is quite brilliant and absolutely music to my ears. Autumn is my favourite time of the year and you’ve captured it beautifully. The pictures, the music, and your words make me happy to be alive. I need to go back and look at it all again.
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Thank you, Malc, for your wonderfully kind comments! You will need more time to listen to all the music! I appreciate that you are almost the first to comment! I hope that you will be inspired to have some baked potatoes!
Joanna
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This fabulous, Joanna. You have the soul of a poet, not that I have ever noticed any poetry that you have written. You have really captured Autumn’s splendor and gentle melancholy. Wonderful! Music choices are superb also.
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I usually leave reading your posts until I have plenty of time, but I just wanted you to know that it was so good that I had to read it straight away, but you know that I know how much effort you put into these articles and you can rest assured that I’ll be back for a second look – and by the way, I’ve always loved baked potatoes
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Thank you, Malc, for your extra comment! We have another thing in common, baked potatoes! I am more than happy that you will listen to some more music! Thank you!
Joanna x
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Thank you so much, dear Pat, for your wonderfully thoughtful comments! As I told you before it was my mother who was a published poet, I cannot write poetry even if my life depended on it! You have beautifully described the essence of Autumn! Thank you!
Joanna
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You do have your Mother’s poetic soul, if not her actual gift for versification.
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Thank you, dear Pat, you are so kind, as always!
Joanna
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thank you for your fascinating post, Joanna🙏🏼❤️👍🏼👌🏼
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What a treat to return from my morning walk, sit on the patio with my laptop listening and reading your excellent presention on autumn. Here in the desert only migrating birds provide signs of the changing seasons. Fall colors will not appear until late November. However, up on Mt. Lemmon the colors are peaking. Again, thanks for the beautiful presentation.
kenne
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Thank you, Joy, for your beautiful comments! Greatly appreciated!
Joanna
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🕉️💞🕉️
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Such beautiful images! Our weather is turning, and the leaves just starting.
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An excellent ode. Autumn is my favorite season. I enjoy its cooler temperatures and the changing colors of leaves. Autumn feels like the most welcoming of the seasons to me.
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Thank you so much, Kenne, for your wonderful comments! They are indeed a treat for me too! I love your additional thoughts, and all are deeply appreciated!
Joanna
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Thank you, Dorothy, for your kind comments! All much appreciated!
Joanna
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Thank you so much, Neil, for your wonderful comments! You are right on all points, especially after the hot summer. Your kind words are greatly appreciated!
Joanna
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Thank you again, Joy!
Joanna x
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your beautiful post and photos with great music has definitely put me in the mood for Autumn, Joanna! Thank you and Autumn thanks you too🍃🍁
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Thank you, Cindy, for your beautiful comments! Your kind words are deeply appreciated! Thank you again, dear Cindy!
Joanna x
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Just had to reblog it. Too exquisite not to share.
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You are dear Pat, the kindness personified! I cannot thank you enough!
Joanna xx
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I will be content for us to remain blogging friends. 💞
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Likewise, dear Pat!
Joanna x
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Dear Joanna, this is truly fabulous, You have captured the spirit of autumn beautifully with your great words, stunning images, gorgeous music
Again I will say that I love your posts and I can only thank you with all my heart for what you share with us
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Thank you, dear Luisa, for your beyond-wonderful comments! Your words made my day! Thank you!
Joanna xx
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Thank you for yet another stunning post Joanna. I know a very old child who still loves to rustle through the dried leaves!
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Oh what a beautiful tribute to Autumn Joanna. I simply love the images and videos that complemented your verbiage. Absolutely delightful my friend. Thanks so much for sharing what makes us love this approaching season so much! 🍁🌾🍂
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Thank you, Peter, for your lovely comments! That makes the two of us! Thank you again!
Joanna
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Thank you, Kym, for your beautiful comments! Your kind words are greatly appreciated!
Joanna x
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Simply wonderful! A smorgasbord of autumnal delight!
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Oh my dear Joanna you are so very welcome. My pleasure always! 😘💖🥰
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Your statement that autumn “is a time for gathering and storing of fruits” is a reminder that the German word for autumn is Herbst, which matches up with the English word harvest. And your mention of autumn in the 16th century being called ‘the fall of the leaf’ coincides with the common name for autumn in North American English, fall. As you’ve alluded to, Canada and northern parts of the United States put on great displays of fall foliage as a prelude to the annual falling of those leaves.
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It’s me who thanks you for all the wonderful posts you share. They are never less than fascinating 💞
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Thank you, dear Luisa, for being so generous!
Joanna x
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Thank you, Steve, for your interesting comments! All much appreciated!
Joanna
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Thank you, Kym!
Joanna x
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What is it about autumn that enthralls us so much? One last gasp of summer, the golden harvest, the birds saying their goodbyes before the silence of winter? September is amazing and our favourite month. Happy September Joanna. Allan
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You are so very welcome my dear Joanna🙏
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Thank you, Joanna, for this timely and fitting ode to Autumn, a season of transition and harvest. The opening quotes from George Eliot and Virginia Woolf perfectly set the tone for this beautiful reflection.
You’ve beautifully captured the essence of the season with your descriptions of overcast skies, shortening days, cooler temperatures, vibrant leaves, migrating birds, and orchard harvests. However, potato digging and bonfires hold a special significance for you. I can vividly imagine the joy of tossing hot, skin-burning potatoes.
At the break of dawn, you used to pick blueberries in the mountain forests, while I would gather fallen, unripe mangoes after a storm in the spring. You’ve eloquently explained the process of leaf fall and the reasons behind bird migrations. The endurance of Arctic terns is truly astonishing.
India also welcomes many migratory birds, such as the Siberian Cranes, which travel 4,000 miles from western Siberia to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan, and the Greater Flamingos, known for nesting in the Rann of Kutch.
Your post, filled with stunning photos and videos, has enveloped me in the cozy warmth and vibrant colors of autumn. Thank you very much, Joanna! Wishing you a joyful autumn!
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Thank you, Kaushal, for your beautiful comments that made me very happy! Autumn is time of many changes and that is so good as we can alter things in the garden, or in the family set up. Thank your again, Kaushal!
Joanna
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Your prose read like poetry and your photos are stunning, Joanna. (Can you tell that I absolutely love autumn? 🙂 )
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You’re welcome, Joanna, always!
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Thank you!
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Thank you, LuAnne, for your wonderful comments! Yes, I can, and it makes me happy!
Joanna x
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I was already excited about visiting my daughter in the Pac NW – seeing her and change of season. Your post is a beautiful prelude to my excitement. Thank you very much, Joanna.
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So delightful to read your post and imagine the beauties of autumn in the higher latitudes. Though it’s getting cooler here as well, only a few trees change colour spectacularly. Our autumn is not ‘fall’ and our trees shed their leaves around February, ready to put on their fresh new leaves in March. Wishing you and Felicity a happy autumn!
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Thank you so much, Harini, for your wonderfully reflective comments! I knew it would read exotic the autumn changes here. Something you wrote tells me that Topshe isn’t well… Thank you for the good wishes from both of us.
Joanna x
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No, what did I write to give you that impression? Topshe is as well as can be expected as she nears her 15th birthday. I must tell you CBD oil has some wonders for her after a serious illness last year. Have you tried it on your animals?
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You wrote about stress when having animal companionship, and I thought about TopShe, but you probably were referring to her illness last year. I am glad she is better. I don’t use this oil on cats as Felicity shines like a mirror eating the best food. Poppie had a cancer operation a few months ago, and it was successful but he sleeps more and is not back to his normal self. He is old and we are just hoping for more time with us. My best wishes to TopShe, and you too!
Joanna x
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