It seems that mother nature uses September to tease us into thinking that the glorious autumn colours we love to photograph are upon us when we see a tree sporting leaves of brilliant red, orange or yellow. But it's just a trick.
The old adage of 'not being able to see the forest for the trees' takes on a slightly different meaning when we see a lone tree whose leaves have turned crimson and orange, but sometimes fail to notice that it is a lone sentinel in a forest that is still sporting the green leaves of summer.
The two photos above illustrate my point. The closeup is the lone tree, but the broader view shows that the surrounding trees are still a long way from bursting with autumn colours.
Above is another example of what I'm talking about. Below, are three images taken a few days ago on the west side of the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton between Pleasant Bay and Cape North. I've travelled extensively in Cape Breton and northern Nova Scotia in the last week and although their are signs that fall colour is not far away, it looks to me like we're in for a few more weeks of waiting.
Here are a few more examples of what the landscape looks like now in Cape Breton. Look particularly at the shot of Glenora Distillery, south of the town of Inverness, then take a look at my Sept. 14 blog on fall foliage and see how this scene looked in the middle of October last year. That's how it will look again in a few weeks time, believe it or not.
The Cabot Trail in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park just north of Cheticamp.
Margaree Harbour on the Ceilidh Trail in Cape Breton.
Glenora Distillery on the Ceilidh Trail between Mabou and Inverness.
Finally, here's a shot that does look like autumn has arrived. Notice that although the shrubs that carpet the landscape in the foreground have turned quite red, the trees in the distance have yet to show much sign of change. This view is from the top of Cape Smokey on the Cabot Trail and looks north toward the village of Ingonish and Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Thank you for all of this it is magnificent to look at and to read. Keep up the great work. I look forward to more. If you want to check out some awesome photos of Humpback whales, Diane Bourgeois had the best pictures I have ever seen. I am a tour guide and unfortunately I was not on the vessel when the pictures where taken. She has them on facebook.
Great pictures, I hope to return to the Maritimes within the next 2 years & hoping to see more this time being my trip was cut short the last time.