We’ve had a couple of weeks of chilly, dark days, the breeze stiff and from the north. Yesterday was raw and on our walk through the autumn forest brought with it the first daytime flakes of snow of the season. Today there have been a few breaks of sun but now low clouds have filled back in. So far October has been more like November and we shall see what November brings.
Leaf change here by the lake has followed the pattern of the past few years: reds early, then yellows and oranges taking over and predominating. The pace of change is wildly inconsistent, with some trees leafless while others have barely begun to turn; the landscape looks as though early October and Thanksgiving were occurring simultaneously.
I have found myself engaged in disturbingly frequent conversations about the weather, mostly about how wonderful it was to have summer warmth well into October. Too many people have said to me they would love to have eighty degrees year round. Of course there is considerable New England hyperbole inherent in many of these statements, but a worrisome lack of thought about, or insight into, our local climate and ecosystems appears to underlie much that is said. Even the governor has spoken about how splendid it is to have a much longer growing season; he is apparently incapable of seeing the immense costs we are paying for those nascent gains. Feeling speechless, I am left contemplating our human inability to weigh the impact of our present actions on the future.
Dreaming the World 
insightful
personal
weather
report, Michael 🙂
Would that the weather were more in keeping with our aspirations!
“Unusual weather we’re having, ain’t it?” said the Cowardly Lion as he roused himself from under snowflakes and poppies. Did he have any suspicion that Witches were responsible?
I too suspect there is evil afoot.
The trees are like that here, too, Michael. Last year, heavy snows came before many trees and bushes had lost their leaves. The long, cold winter that followed was hard on them, and the warm, dry spring left many struggling for survival. It has become difficult for me to predict what will grow and thrive from one year to the next!
Yes, Carol. Warming has an impact for sure. The New England saying that our weather is unpredictable has taken on new meaning, and seasons are in something approaching chaos.
Our autumn is similar Michael and I too worry about a longer summer. We had our first snow yesterday though too.
Andrea, We have had flurries but no real snow. Typically that comes a bit later but again this year the autumn is warm and winter is predicted to be the same. There has been a great change in our winters over the forty years I have lived here. Winters are much warmer and at least three weeks shorter.
I just discovered the blog! What beautiful landscapes you have in New England!
I live in the south of France; here, many trees have evergreen leaves … We don’t have all these colors: golden, red, yellow …
I have a forest right in front of my house; trees are pines and holm oaks. So, everything is green.
We also had a very long summer, but in recent days we have made a big jump: summer / winter !!! I don’t know the consequences of this very strange time; is it global warming?
Colette, Yes we do live in odd times. Global warming is impacting us as well. This year the trees are muted from the long hot, dry summer and the delayed cold. There are pockets of great beauty, the color intensified by the rain, and I take pleasure and solace in them. I fell in love with Nice and the south of France when I visited a few years ago. I would very much like to visit again.