Fall Foliage of the Lotus Plant

Many mark their fall calendars and their travel maps to leaf peep in the northeastern U.S, checking websites and tourist hotlines to catch fall color at its peak.  I spent three autumn seasons in Virginia as a work-base for weekend and vacation travels. I treasure many hiking and biking memories, some to the nearby Shenandoah National Park, and one weeklong trip to hike and bike the incredible Acadia National Park.  That destination, on Maine’s rocky coast, brought new images and terms to my brain’s database.  I learned about fjords and that we actually have a few in this one upper-corner of the lower forty-eight.  I had my first experiences with truly fresh-caught lobster. I learned about blueberry pancakes and blueberry muffins where the blueberries come straight from the plant, not the can (within the box).

But as a native Gulf Coastie, how I love to visit Brazos Bend State Park on a cool, fall weekday.  With a cool front on its way through Texas, preceded by strong rains and northerly winds, there is no better way to greet the cool temps than a day in this habitat-rich park. 

I looked to the right; I looked to the left.  Not a leaf peeper (or other human) in sight:

 

As always, I am drawn to the Texas-size lotus plant.  Its fall season is an important part of this habitat’s lifecycle.  The rich brown hue of decay brings striking contrast to the flowering water hyacinth.  Texture; rich, striking fall texture:

 

 

And this Little Blue Heron anchors a true-to-life reality, in both size and color, as contrasted to the saturated color pallet of Mother Nature’s fall landscape:

 

And so if you have friends or family members that are leaf peepers, consider sending them my blog link and ask if they’ve ever peeped at such fall wonders.  Or better yet, just tell them to Google:  emilysiwsiw (with no spaces) to quickly find my most current blog post.