I have to really look for Autumn color here but the rewards are worth it in Daydreaming on the Porch

Autumn here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina is not as flashy and brilliantly colorful as in our upstate and mountain regions 200 miles from here, but each mid to late November, and continuing through December, we have our less conspicuous shows of color in small doses and patches of oranges snd reds that I always have to be on the lookout for. And it depends on the weather. How cool and how dry. We’ve had a very warm and wet Autumn, much more so than usual, and just a couple or cool days so far. That’s about to change with temps in the low 40s in a couple of days. This might produce some red colors in the magnificent Shumard oaks at the nearby city park. The past two years all those oaks had perfect leaf color conditions and were a beautiful shade of red. I was at the park taking my afternoon walk earlier this evening and sadly noted that the leaves are starting to change to an unappealing brown with no color gradations. The cool weather that’s coming maybe affect the color of those leaves more favorably in the next couple of weeks, but it’s a tossup.

We also have swamp and Japanese maples that can have brilliant red leaves this time of year, but so far those are a disappointment. I will have to look extra hard for the yellows and dull reds in our sycamores and cypresses, but I did notice that other day walking at another park.

What I’m excited about is my plan to visit a favorite nature preserve which is a county park about a 40-minute drive from where I live. This park has many types of native bushes and shrubs that in a good year can absolutely dazzle with oranges, yellows and red. But timing is important. It’s not been cold enough yet for a visit, but soon I will be trekking out there. It’s is a magnificent landscape of diverse natural habitats and ecosystems.

If the colors I am hoping to see appear out there, I will post another set of late Autumn photos.

Here are more photos taken this past Friday.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/camas/c9ae50

Last updated November 15, 2020