There are some very striking fall colors out in the garden, as well as in the trees and shrubs that I see on my way to the grocery store every day right now. Is it just my imagination, or do they seem more vibrant than in recent years? I wonder if the rain in August, as well as in September, has caused the trees and shrubs to hang onto their leaves longer, whereas in a more normal year, with summer drought that lingers well into September, the trees have usually lost most of their brown, crinkly, dried-up leaves early as they shut down in August from months of summer drought.
Of course I'm not a botanist, or meteorologist, or climatologist, basically I know next to nothing about anything. These are just the musings of a home gardener with some photos to share.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLcXglOI-JPte2i4NLrHcwVQzepeerJAjdYTe2W8XdaixwWWZWm6AiquYGuuU_E9wmAsBVqehUFGHDPEPACySkxK6xNllJh8mV-mEbQksxVD8h9EmWyH47fZuhEZSxWTJ_h7S6NzGwGk/s640/IMG_1961.jpg) |
Amelanchier alnifolia |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjka26pqjXYlnF7YzBuNgbZIVg91msEHFED95zd49JYvR8jBsxGRgJV9p8iG243DHQFOGTEWsxz51QVC8GdvFZI54v8X1O_HCGX5WoPvD_JtCgV8BZRYWJi-GGLyBCbAnsbpHLvyzsH410/s640/IMG_1963.jpg) |
Oemleria cerasiformis |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuVPGt1flShG5HdB4-6lXJEtpfNVaQpIVeQ5iaQnj2csoyQiDr9fCRxiN2ZskwDT3VrRJbYu1TkBNrAQfKuaZ7Y_j9FlkOmyz8BLjLLpqjb-KwIw0lYfl_AZXpOXaifSOAbZG7KUqBfY/s640/IMG_1965.jpg) |
Ribes sanguineum |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1MztfGS-NhnAD5Juq6PvdKxdJkq-9qP5Jx2prC0PTvvQ__usaM2_eB9bRqzTSEupNQi4qUZEO_m6WeRK_Ucx2eVREhYcDULJhJppRhmgBmkra_lz5WeLvWwyiw3pFJ5_wc6dDxhVmCs/s640/IMG_1973.jpg) |
Peony |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFxNxBzfnTLeSy2hvkOkpxyK8PCj2Oz9cV1mBsUvCtmagAELZRH4o8RElbRIlMjtTs55UJHAH1YdPguZDsbou-ljfy9RhwzzpTLMd4iUiTXTKout8jufwNATVakPnajIMdhwz4mkPtlpM/s640/IMG_1975.jpg) |
Peony closeup |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdmPdI71ZtGTDhsBqrC1HQnRIn_Ki5uP3saqQ069e8m1yEJtzl9fAsoC-GmTuxz1OKtkWgzIYr8LSd2s5hcwllyJBawEWugGlDf7c7xZm6trYCpayvtT-WtBAJpD-ZC6Shg4DW8rk_iI/s640/IMG_1976.jpg) |
Hydrangea quercifolia |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZnJyNgLjyjPik6sLCFjXlQ2EmirhjrsZ553UlzriIQafO8odjA-VLGKx9Z_nL67Sg2-a3xiV7cDnEsfGfgDuW1hSKUp6u6Wb9r4Zg63RM4uSysx8uibmFP8V_AFOQ6y_j2DVwIaCBtQ/s640/IMG_1977.jpg) |
Hydrangea quercifolia |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGV5k3GvyLjum57lcQdCSND1tdRW_9SAO0AkL16Y52TiTc6ObcNdc08Yq3PsdwcIU2JqmInH6Nj8eaejDbqZCcihAEIoNQh-eTcRouFsRJMO2eJxRAZxSp5pHse83cmidBHmobidRQnyA/s640/IMG_1969.jpg) |
Acer circinatum |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_DS0wTy-kknVaUOvwrNtinBisYsV93QjLKB67r2YBcKkRLH0eqNQiMR8JMe6B6kQejD0hZiPOLwqSw4zU7IhWJFrgH9y2qondlzdQW0ZfOJE8V0AT7iF7OwrIxusdwFREKH7jT4uRew/s640/IMG_1978.jpg) |
Oak tree |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-sYijtE1LvNwh1CuIez4ro3Hm_NkFYrG0_bR61hXPHNIUSYYmwNUlWc7XD9cQzPOgw4RBI9gsY3kt4aYbLteLFDaYWr8N6LxPfG3WOcTy68l2pY8tTIVfVhW2piRjOUmAh1yDtAx010M/s640/IMG_1984.jpg) |
Quercus |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02cVqLbZzSpfqZ47sk8QprCoC3qeiLL4Q7Ydx70ZPWoLYINx1MdaATqp_eRnVVe6jdyz8DMPWlDe3invAgq3zu2lR7hWQ2pjZqzwA9zGmXKjzb_PPerYygXZ3SfrdJB2DGP3IC95Y5nk/s640/IMG_1985.jpg) |
Amsonia hubrichtii |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFtph2XyeKL4cz9JIaTgRPor9mAM4OGsEOY44lKqZOODUKeK_yVOPdx4psg7oVu9b0Ubif7MilKkMU1Mbqnpg14dQIyghkhZymkhUtCBqUisda0-6blLIJLr7LBf25Vc8bMdWEjT5GXQ/s640/IMG_1986.jpg) |
Geranium macrorrhizum |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZfOwnOTLmE4Kx6LmrS8DrXYuIno6YPN_lT7c4c07BwCjoP6J1d8NqwUuRL2n__yhcXOgdy5-1mNGV7SQQ5gJdSMwYTU8yEROW8IdGkiyOX_H2hwdbpG3fRO0ghn_p2OSkGRKV_Vrk8nM/s640/IMG_1987.jpg) |
Eucalyptus bark |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9h42-6aRWo6frPAak6wbpYXhVcUq_fOITXu2rxnuRL8g_GDnZMgcdsZELrn8MqcA2PEZymBWfPMnmCQ6PxCE3jRCYGuH631yCBh5SqsgVqSF8VQKeHvqowgrSR9cF_ItRKpIxOrTuco/s640/IMG_1989.jpg) |
Eucalyptus |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2AspDlUBzFm7b-hL53xsYLC6q3YURY6AyLOVoPhETW0aMIcXlP6A7EKyWT_oI7Y05r_L5dzkP_ujX99OfTPvDWnBm3HYksr5FxXWHaLQEA8iuL3XWsXmjANOaXbDY2wE3AqkKfFAcOo/s640/IMG_1992.jpg) |
Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Steroidal Giant' |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uwzQ5lt-YSHFmDcLTxaePCw_NInUdQajRAccexb9Xi3fSyVAKpjx8FxQ05fUGd5Za0HhFpTV7L61fVTbxOtXNd7OjVOGiTU_Qqfl4Otpdv_RQ3vg9zssu4Ay3dU7xbYTi_8OcddkmKA/s640/IMG_1994.jpg) |
Viburnum trilobum |
Have you noticed how vibrant the fall foliage is this year? Am I just not remembering that every year it's this beautiful?