Winter Colors: Brown

Bare Brown Woods

I watched the colors change over the course of the fall, and before I knew it, fall became winter, leaving the landscape bare and brown. The colors faded as the sunlight waned and the temperatures dipped, turning the woods from garish yellows, oranges and reds to sudued earthtones. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, except for the Beech leaves that hang on and rustle in the breeze. The leaves that fell will break down to form new soil, at first leaving only a skeletal outline of veins and stems before decaying altogether. Acorns, Buckeye and flower seeds, ripened to a rich brown, become a delicious feast for the lucky finder. Freezing winter nights bring sparkling leafy treasures to find on a morning walk. The groundhog saw his shadow this week, predicting six more weeks of winter. This is fine with me because for a short while it is easy to spot birds and squirrels out in the open, without the protective cover of leaves. For now I enjoy the quiet and cold and wait for the sun to warm the soil. 

Beech Leaves

Leaf Skeleton

Ripened Flower Seeds

Buckeye Seed

Acorn Pile

Frosty Sweet Gum Leaf

Sparkling Frozen Landscape

Brown Creeper

Gray Squirrel

Carolina Wren

White Tailed Deer

Hermit Thrush

Female Eastern Towhee

Brown Turkey Tail Fungi