Recent very warm weather may have made the color not “perfect” but it is very good right now. Last weekend was warm and then a cold front dropped the temperature 15 degrees in an hour. Sunday, people were in T-shirts, Monday, the fleece were back on.
However, the temperatures are supposed to rise through the week with the weekend highs around 70. And the color should still be nice, too.
The color on Stamp Act is mostly muted color. The Black Gum that are bright red have mostly lost their leaves. Maples still are red and the birch are nice yellows with green mixed in. No, it isn’t the best color that has been seen but it is very pleasant.
Contrasts between the green of the pines and the red of the maples and other trees make a nice combination.
A few trees along the shore have lost all their leaves and this allows other trees to stand out. The gray trunk and big limbs of this tree are a nice contrast to the other turning trees.
Near Point Breeze, a swampy area has a very nice variety of color. Visiting any of the swampy areas around the lake gives the same kind of view.
A kayaker was admiring one of the Black Gum trees a week or so ago, paddling under it and looking up into the mass of red leaves. He left rather abruptly as he saw a rather large paper wasp nest. Now that many of the leaves on that tree have fallen, that nest is easily visible. With the last cold snap, most of the wasps have died but it is still something that you probably are best to avoid bumping into.
In the calm areas, the fallen leaves make for interesting patterns on the top of the water and with their shadows on the bottom.
Oh, and the eagle chick is now a strong flyer and is very independent. Our nesting eagle pair is doing well raising “the kids”. The one this year brings their total to seven fledged and independent birds.