Utah Autumn 2016

The mountains are the first to announce the changing of seasons in Utah.  From the valley floor we spy the reds of the scrub oaks high on the mountainside in late August and early September.  By mid September the quaking Aspens join the march toward winter, igniting the hillside with brilliant yellows.

 By the end of September, the march of the colors has made its debut in the valleys and everywhere I turn, I see the hues of Autum:

...the mimicking dance of the sunflower gracing gardens and roadsides alike with its happy sun yellow.

...lazy autumn haze filled with sunlight itself, numbering the days until winter

... the scarlet leather leaves of the Maple slash the green countryside anxious to show off

 And cornstalks slip from green to maize waiting to be mown down at the end of the harvest.

 Autumn came to Utah on the noisy wings of the geese and the ducks as they migrated south.  It came into the valleys shouting its arrival, and yet at the same time it settled to stay a long while this year, holding winter at bay and eeking out every last minute of every day it can.

Lucky duck - to swim and bathe in a mirrored lake

The trees explode with color and then, moments later, the color fades into the browns and blues of the impending winter.   But autumn, this year, hasn't wanted to succumb quite yet.

Even with the mountaintops, once again, proclaiming that winter is making its way, the valleys rebel and hold on.
Hold on.

On the trees, a few leaves cling tenaciously on, their siblings piled on the ground below....

And the last of the flowers break forth in Mum song....

Winter may be coming, but for today Autumn is having its way.