Deep Autumn

Autumn is always special to me. I like that crispness in the air, that long awaited farewell to the annoying humidity that glues our sweat to our skin, that cloudless sky which returns to the streams and ponds their crystalline clarity. It's the best time of the year for a hike. I did just that last week. The photos will tell their own story.

I started out from the Tsuen Wan end of the Shing Mun Reservoir and was welcomed by
the leaves of our municipal flower.

They were soon joined by the leaves of some ferns beginning to turn red.

But not all of them...

especially the creepers, determined to take advantage of the morning sun. 

and the little purple flowers too!.

A close up of some of them.

Some of them were rather shy. They prefer to hide under the leaves.

But the smaller flowers had no such coyness. Perhaps they took courage in numbers.

The signs of autumn were everywhere.





Amidst the lower branches of trees too..

There is no doubt that autumn is with us. It is clear who would go first!

This leaf is well past the worrying stage. But through the tear of its wound, we see Nature struggling still.

We see that the worms didn't lose any time either for a good meal.

However, the budding leaves were undaunted. They seemed to be saying: "We know our days will
come too. But will we stop living simply because we know that some day we're going to die? Let
tomorrow take care of itself! "

These young bamboo shoots are not going to be left behind either!

"But we're prepared! We shall have children yet!"

Ah, let's see what I found at the side of the path! A yellow mushroom, taking advantage of other's
decay!

And even a spider web! "What do I care about the mess. I've got to eat, don't I?"

I always like tree barks. They look so tough and textured..





This one looks almost like the surface of some rocks. They've weathered through sun, rains, winds, storms, typhoons and attacks by worms, insects and other parasites, even men!






See what I mean?

But they take it in their stride.  What does it matter if they lose a patch of their bark here and there.

Look at their textures, almost like meshed paper!

What are the whitish lines? Dried sap from their wounds?

Look at their colors: reddish brown and yellow!

More yellows from dried up moss.

Trees never lose any chance to sprout new leaves, in the most unexpected places.

Even from a beheaded stump, just so long as the roots are intact.

Mosses growing on the barks of a tree, like trees along the sides of a craggy mountain. When they die, the bark may become yellow.

But how big are these mosses growing on the surface of some rocks, compared to some of their distant cousins? Like giants amongst dwarves





Finally a pond!

I like the color of the smoothened out rocks and that of the log.

And the sheen of light upon its surface.

When I cast my eyes further out, something even better!

Before I left the reservoir, I found more flowers lining the path! Too good not to photograph!

Here's a red one.

And some yellow ones. But I don't know their name. Help anyone?