A Lovely Fall in Ohio

I keep saying I will get back into blogging but we have been outside so much that it just hasn't happened! The time away from the computer has been well-spent, with wedding celebrations, much hiking, and searching for butterflies here in Ohio and in Texas. But it is fun to look back on the fall season, which was one of the most beautiful that I can remember. We made multiple visits to some of our favorite placed for fall color, including the Hocking Hills and Alley Park in Lancaster.

We usually think of sugar maples as providing most of the color, but there are other players as well, some subtle such as this maple-leaf viburnum with its black berries:

and some quite showy, such as this sourwood tree.

Sassafras can have a variety of colors:

The bright red of winged sumac and flowering dogwood are stunning at Clear Creek Metropark:

Many oak leaves don't have a lot of fall color, but here are some in deep red:

And of course I have to include this sugar maple:

Leaves aren't the only source of color--here are the odd blooms of witch hazel:

and the bright fruits of American wahoo:

On a calm day the reflection of the trees in the water can be particularly impressive:

There was a bit too much wind for reflections on this day at Alley Park but the scene is still lovely:

Drizzly days seemed to bring out some of the best color:

For jaw-dropping beauty the scenes along high roads in the Hocking Hills just can't be beat:

Here is another:

Here is more "eye candy" to help get me through the winter:

And one final photo from Clear Creek Metropark:

Ahh--it is so sad to see end of the warm weather and colorful leaves, flowers and fruits. I'm not a winter person so I may keep coming back to look at these photos frequently in the coming months!