“October is the month of painted leaves. Their rich glow now flashes around the world. As fruit and leaves and the day itself acquire a bright tint just before they fall, so the year near its setting. October is its sunset sky; November the later twilight.”
-Henry David Thoreau-
More and more I’m beginning to appreciate HDT’s recurring theme of matching the development and maturity of flowers, fruits and even leaves and shoots of plants together as analogous cycles in nature. This is an idea he writes about in several pieces. In the passage above, he takes it a step further and shows the similarities the course of seasons within the year has with the progression of a single day. Simple, but I like it. The colors and changes so dramatic in spring and fall are like those of sunrise/sunset. The high sun and heat of the day are so like a long, hot temperate summer, while winter is of course equated to night. Of course, this metaphor only makes sense in the temperate zones of our planet, but I like it.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 
Breathtaking. So effectively composed. Be sure to include this one in your forthcoming calendar.
I’ve just been catching up on your blog posts from the past couple of months (I’ve been real busy), and I have to say your fall shots and bird shots have all been great, but this one takes the cake! Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much Stephen and Austin!