Falling into fall

All too soon the clocks will go back by an hour, and the evenings will feel much longer.  This time of year, nature paints with a rich palette of wonderful colours.  Summer was glorious and bountiful, but towards the end it became a little parched, and somewhat monochrome.  Now autumn is exploding in a riot of colours!  Balm to the heart!!

Have a look at this dahlia:

The colour variations in the grapevine leaves are endless:

The pomegranates are really starting to show off:

 

How about some of these luscious persimmons?

 

Or perhaps you are ready for a pumpkin?

This red warty thing has been growing in my garden for some time now, and it will be harvested very soon.  A friend in the US sent me the seeds last year, and I just love the colour and texture of the skin;  the seed packet promises that it will make good eating too!

The rose hips are blazing away brilliantly red.

Some parts of my garden really come into their own during fall.  This salvia just seems to explode at the end of each summer.

Some leaves turn a bright sulphur yellow colour

and some go flaming red:

Autumn is really one of the best times to visit the area.  And of course this time of year is also fantastic for wild mushrooms, but that will be a story for another time…